


Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace

by I_am_a_color_13



Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, F/M, I'll update the tags as I go along so I don't spoil you all at once, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm bad at summary also, and a bit of angst when their pasts are mentionned but that's it, but it's mostly cute stuff, mentions of physical violence and injuries, so it's mostly fluff I think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-14 09:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13586742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_am_a_color_13/pseuds/I_am_a_color_13
Summary: Frank is running the tattoo parlor managed by his wife until her death, alongside their children, 5 years ago.Karen just opened a flower shop accross the street from him, after leaving Vermont and her history behind her for good.He didn't know anything about her until she entered his parlor and changed his life for good.She wasn't looking for love until he made her believe she could have it.





	1. Lilac

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This au is inspired and based on this edit by @frank-kastle on tumblr : http://frank-kastle.tumblr.com/post/169901832082/florist-tattoo-artist-au  
> It's my first time writing Kastle so I haven't got much practice in writing them and getting their voices right so I really hope you like this and that it doesn't feel too out of character. Reminder that this is an au so the characters are a bit lighter in spirits than in the shows.  
> Also it's been a long time since I've written fics so apologies in advance for the mistakes, repetitions or weird phrasing.  
> If you see any mistakes let me know!  
> I've already written the whole thing so I shouldn't take too long to update it but I have to edit the last parts.

He’s closing his door when she exits her own shop, keys in hand. She watches him for a few seconds, intrigued by this man that she sees everyday closing and opening the tatoo parlor on the other side of the street. She has never spoken to him but she’s noticed him. And tonight, he’s as dark as all the other nights she closed her shop as he was closing his tattoo parlor. He has a bag on his shoulder and is dressed all in black. 

He is always alone when Karen sees him and she wonders if he is going back to a family or someone or leaving for some kind of mysterious place. He has the whole tall, dark, brooding stranger thing going for him. She doesn’t know much about him but as a newcomer in this neighborhood, it feels nice to see him everyday from the other side of the street. It is part of her routine now, it gives her a sense of familiarity. Not that she has ever spoken to him.  
She’s only been working across the side from him for a month now. 

 

She opened her flower shop as a way to start anew. She had only moved to NY a year ago to start a new life away from her family and her history in Vermont. She had no experience in flowers prior to leaving Vermont. Signing up for classes and getting a diploma in Floral Design was absolutely unexpected but it was exactly what she needed. She just wanted to do something as different as possible from what she was doing in Vermont. 

From accountant secretary to florist. From an office to a workshop filled with colours and smells. She was done taking orders, she was done with lousy colleagues and the constant surveillance. As hard as it had been to set up a new business and to find money for it, she loved being independent . She loved being her own boss and pushing herself to work harder and better. She loved being in touch with people and getting to hear their stories and to be a part of theirs rather than an anonymous hand behind numbers. And she loved New-York. It’s dark and gritty but so alive, so full of life and stories and things to see. 

 

On the other side of the street, he is turning away from his door after closing it and he catches sight of her. He stops in his track to observe the tall woman fumbling with her keys to close her florist shop’s door. He can only see her back and her long blond hair. And yet, he keeps on watching her. Like he does almost every day since she arrived here. She took over the old bakery and filled it with flowers and all sorts of plants and colors. She arrived a month ago with a truck and a lot of paint and completely changed the view from his work place windows. 

Now the pavement is covered in flowers, well not right at this moment of course, everyday bright with colors and decorations brightening up the street. She seems nice, always smiling at people when he looks out on the street during the day. He doesn’t know her name or anything about her but still he likes having her on the other side of the street.

 

He has been running his tattoo parlor ever since he lost his wife and children in an accident 5 years ago, after coming back from his last tour in Afghanistan. The parlor was his wife's at the beginning and he took over when she died. He was working with her before but never thought about being more than her assistant because this was her dream and he was happy just being with her every day after he came to life as a civilian. 

He really didn't want to take over at first because it was simply a reminder that she was gone, that their family was gone and that everything that they had built together was gone. And this thing that was hers, and then theirs, was now his alone and he never agreed to have something that was his own. They were supposed to share everything until they died of old age. If anything he was supposed to die on the battlefield not watch her die with their kids. But he took over because he didn't know what else to do. He didn't feel like he was good at anything else. 

And maybe it was his way of honoring her and her memory to keep this parlor alive, to give his whole life to it. And if it tore his heart apart everyday to look around and not find her or the kids in the place that felt almost as much as a home to him as their actual home, then he thinks it's a good thing. Because he needs the reminder, the pain of it, to keep him going. His knuckles are wounded tonight, as they are most of the time. He does boxing competitions when he’s not working. He needs to let out his anger and he hasn't found a way to live a life that doesn't have physical violence in it, where he can't forget himself between punches and grunts. 

 

She turns around and sees him looking. She nods quickly and he nods back. This is their routine of sort now. A nod if they are closing or opening at the same time. Which happens quite often. Especially closing, as they both like to stay at work until it’s really late. Frank doesn't like being home alone ever since the accident and Karen feels safer in her shop with the cameras and at home with the flowers.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

A week later, on a Monday, Karen decides to set up a project she’s been thinking about ever since she opened her shop. She wants to get better acquainted with her professional neighbors (and if she has a certain man always dressed in black in mind who could blame her), as well as promoting her work and making her shop noticed more. She had the idea to set up an offer to create floral arrangements for each shop in the streets, fitting each shop aesthetic be it an IT shop full of rare components or a press shop or a wine bar or a library. She goes to visit them all, presenting her idea and introducing herself to all the owners. 

She keeps the tattoo parlor for the end of her rounds on the Wednesday. Because he’s right in front of her and they’re basically both at the beginning of the street so it make sense to end with him rather than to start with him. And it’s not because he’s the one she’s the most nervous about at all. All the other shops have accepted enthusiastically her offer although the conversation with the IT shop guy, Micro, started off with her having to prove she wasn't a FBI agent because of an unfortunate turn of phrase on her behalf.  
Sadly, when she arrives to the tattoo parlor after leaving the nice library next door and its great owner Ben, she finds the place dark and closed. There's a sign on the window saying that the he’s closing early for today and to not come back until tomorrow at 10. Disappointed to have to wait until tomorrow to meet him, she goes back to her shop to start working on the design for the floral arrangements in her workshop. 

 

The next day, she is standing in front of his door at 10 am sharp. When she does gets to talk to him, she's surprised to find him grumpy and a bit harsh. She barely has the time to explain her project before a client arrives and he cuts her off shortly with a “I’m busy Ma’am, could you please leave?” followed by him ushering his client in the back of the shop.  
She's left standing at the counter without even a goodbye. It all happens in a few minutes and she hurries outside of his parlor still in shock because who does that? He didn’t even let her finish her sentence! Hesitating as to whether she really wants to work with him or not, she decides to wait until the next day to see if he is going to come see her first.

_[Little does she know that Frank was really shocked to find her in his parlor, had never expected her to come closer to him, most people tended to stay away from him either because he looked scary or because they didn't know how to talk to him anymore after the accident but she was new and she wasn't scared and she didn't know anything about him so she just came in with her smile talking about a project and flowers and he was abrupt because she was too much to handle all at once, too polite and nice and he didn't know how to deal with that anymore. She took him by surprise.]_

Later during the morning, she's surprised to see the tall dark man in her shop. She's in the workshop behind the main room and hears the bell ringing. Walking back behind the counter to find him awkwardly standing amongst the flowers, she can't help but notice that in all his dark glory, he looks beautiful amongst the flowers, like a sort of painting. He looks quite nervous too so she takes it as a good sign.

He looks up at her and then down seemingly at loss for words before finally speaking.  
“Hi”  
She crosses her arms “Hi”  
“Uh, it’s about my about my behavior earlier. I was too harsh. It was uh, it was stupid of me but you just took me by surprise, you know?”  
She nods, waiting for him to finish “Anyway, I didn't really understood what you were talking about so I was wondering if you could maybe explain it to me again and accept my apologies?”  
“Maybe you should actually apologize first” she says trying to hide her smile (because she doesn't think she's ever since a grown man quite like him being so hesitant and almost intimidated in front of her).  
“Oh yeah, that’s right sorry. Well uh, sorry twice I guess. I apologize for not listening to you earlier. I didn’t want to show any disrespect or make you feel uncomfortable, I swear.”

She stays silent for a few seconds, observing how his stance doesn’t betray his nervousness but his eyes do. Most people would miss it, she thinks, and take him as cold. But Karen Page is nothing if not good at observation and so she decides to give him a new chance and starts explaining her project to him. At first he's surprised that she wants to work in his parlor - “It’s not really a place for flowers, Ma’am” - to which she objects that he tattoos plenty of flowers onto people skin and that maybe it's time for him to see some real ones for a change 

He chuckles at that and accepts her proposition. 

“Ok, great! So I was thinking maybe I could come visit your parlor in the afternoon to take pictures and talk about the aesthetic of it with you and see if you have any ideas?”

Frank suddenly wonders what he got himself into because aside from maybe roses and peonies, he doesn't know shit about flowers. But, well it's her problem and she just better not make him something all pink and full of ribbons. Looking around in her shop he can tell that it's not her style, she seems to create complex bouquets or unique colours arrangements. Some very simple and minimalist and some other much more complex but never too much. There's a sense of harmony in her creations.

He spends the whole afternoon distracted and grumpier than usual with clients because he keeps wondering if he should clean up the shop or tidy his office (will she even come into her office or stay in the parlor?) and what time will she be here?

\---------------------------------------------

The young florist arrives around five pm with a camera and a notepad, a bright smile on her face, looking absolutely delighted to see him when he opens the door and he can't help but return the smile (not as wide as hers obviously, he's Frank Castle, he doesn't smile from ear to ear at strangers) and she steps inside.

"I was afraid you'd have forgotten about our arrangement" She seems a bit nervous speaking up, and he can imagine why but he reassures her and says that he is looking forward to it (which is true he finds out as he says it). 

As she takes a look around the parlor, he's suddenly overwhelmed with how strongly he wants her to like the place, to think it looks nice and interesting. He hasn't changed many things since Maria died, only added his designs to the walls and changed a few chairs. 

She looks around and can't help but feel that the situation is strangely intimate with the two of them alone in the shop, him standing tall and dark and shifting on his feet as if he was nervous next to her. There’s no music playing, and for a few seconds the sound of the street fades out and a sense of peace takes over Karen. She likes this place, she decides. It's clean and simple and not as dark and full of skulls as one would naturally expect from a tattoo parlor (although there are definitely quite a few skull designs). It's straight to the point, maybe a bit outdated but comfortable.

“Did you decorate this place yourself or did you hire..?” she asks, turning to face him.  
“Hm, no. My wife did it,” he replies, “She, uh, she wanted vintage stuffs and old things or used stuffs from open markets and things like that, you know? So she did all the decorating with furniture from thrift shops or attics and other things she collected over the years.”

“Oh, that’s nice! Did you start the business with your wife, then?”

He takes a few seconds to reply, “It was her business actually and she started it when I was away on tour. When we were young and before we had the kids. She ran this place both as manager and tattoo artist. When I came back from my last tour, I joined her as her assistant and now...I’m on my own.”

She had guessed so by the fact that he isn’t wearing a ring. The fact that he is still running a place that belonged to his wife tells her that it isn’t a divorce that separated him from his wife. The sadness and pain in his eyes confirms that it was something much more terminal and that he’s the only one left. She knows that look for seeing it staring at her quite often in the mirror. 

On the other side of the room, he’s surprised at how easy it is for him to tell his whole life story to this stranger but she has this air about her and this look on her face like she knows exactly what he’s feeling and she asks questions quietly but directly.  
“When did it happen? ”

And he knows that she understood that this isn’t a divorce and that this is definitive and that when he’s says he’s alone, he’s really alone. And he could tell her that it’s none of her business – because frankly, it isn’t- but he doesn’t really mind. 

“Five years ago.”  
She nods, “I’m sorry.” He dismisses her apologies with a shrug. Nothing to do about it now.  
“How old were your children?” Again, that soft and direct way of asking a question. A question that rips him apart and wakes him up at the same time. It’s both painful and a little liberating.“ Ten and thirteen. A boy and a girl, Frankie and Lisa.” 

Suddenly, as if saying their name was an incantation of some sort, all the memories are coming back and he starts telling her about each piece of furniture and the story behind them from the armchair that Maria found in a dumpster and dug out and carried back home on her own because “It was just perfect, Frank!” and the painting that was from Maria’s first apartment or the table from their first shared apartment that they had found in an open market; and she laughs as he shares his stories and Frank realizes that he had forgotten about these stories. He’s laughing softly alongside her as he tells her about that time his kids painted over one of the chair and did all the drawings on the coffee table and how at first him and his wife were angry at them but then decided to keep the painting and drawings because it showed that graphic tendencies run in the family.

He stays silent after telling his memories, overwhelmed with the vision of his family, surprised by how many details he can remember and scared of the fact that he usually never tries to remember, that he hadn't thought about these stories in so long, perhaps ever since they died?  
Which is weird given that they are staring at him in the eyes everyday, and the fear comes up suddenly: what if he wakes up one day without any memory left? He already has to face the idea that he will never get new memories of them but if he forgets the ones he has he doesn't think he could bear it. How many details has he forgotten already? 

She understands his uneasiness and stays quiet, letting him gather his thoughts as she walks around, slowly looking at the different details on the walls while he stays silent. She turns to him and raises her camera with a questioning look asking if she can take pictures.  
He nods and as she plays with the settings and looks for angles, he coughs softly.  
"You want coffee?" he gestures to the door of what she figures is his office with a look on his face that betrays the desire to be alone and escape her presence for a while, she says yes understanding his need.

Taking pictures, she thinks about how sad it is and yet beautiful that this place is so full of his family's story especially his wife’s, how in a way their memories live on in this place, that he hasn't changed, that he occupies alongside their ghosts, 

She spots the picture of a woman and two children smiling widely at the camera behind the counter and hesitates to get closer, but as she does, he comes back and hands her a cup.

“Hope you like it black. I haven't got sugar or any of these fancy machines.” She chuckles “Black is good.”  
He seems relieved and nods at her camera “Got everything you need there, ma'am?”  
“Yeah”, she replies, “It should be fine but I was thinking we could talk about your vision of the place and if they are stuffs you like, to give me an idea of how to personalize the arrangements.”  
“Uh sure, yeah, we can do that” he says as he moves towards the sitting area, “I gotta be honest though ma'am, I don't really know shit about flowers except for the ones I draw.”  
She laughs and he marvels at the sound, light and clear, realizing that it's been a while since he made someone, especially a woman, laugh like that.  
“That's alright”, she replies, “Most people don't know a lot about flowers which can make my job quite challenging, or stimulating.”  
“I mean, I know a few, people like them on designs but I don't really know the names except for a few of the famous ones like roses,...and peonies.”  
“Peonies? That's a one not many people know of.” she remarks, looking at him with surprise. “It was...my wife's favourite.” he explains. She smiles and asks softly “What was her name?”  
“Maria” (and damn it's been a while since he last said her name out loud)  
She hums and then says “Oh, I've just realized that I don't know your name.”  
He sits down. “Frank, Frank Castle.”  
She sits in the chair in front of him “Well nice to meet you Mr Castle, I'm Karen Page.”  
He waves his hand, “Just call me Frank, Ma'am.”  
She smiles “Then call me Karen.” He smiles back at her.

As he is trying to find something to keep the conversation going, not that the silence is awkward but he has come to realize that although he shared so much of himself, he still doesn't know much about her, the bell rings at the entrance of the shop signaling the arrival of a client.  
He recognizes his 6 o'clock appointment and he can't believe that it's already six, he had forgotten all sense of time as he was talking with Karen and it seems that she did too as she stands up quickly  
“Sorry”, he says “I had completely forgotten about it” She waves her hand to make him understand that it doesn't matter. 

“I can come back tomorrow if that suits you?” She asks as she brushes her hair behind her ear catching the way his eyes follow the movement. (Truth be told she doesn't really need more information about the shop to start her work but she is a bit fascinated by him and there's just something about him and the way he stands and talks that makes her feel both at ease and alive)  
“Yeah sure,”he says,” Come when you want, I don't have any appointments tomorrow.”  
“Great! Well, see you tomorrow then!” And she hurries outside, crossing the street quickly to go back to her shop.

And she ignores during the whole evening the little voice in her head making her heart beat faster by whispering sweet nothing about a certain tattoo artist.


	2. Primrose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's the second chapter where Frank and Karen get to know each other better and you get to meet my version of one of my favourite character from The Punisher.   
> I want to thank all the people who commented on the previous chapter, thank you so much, it meant a lot. I'm so glad you liked the installement of this AU and I hope this second chapter will please you again! <3   
> Also, this is going to be a 6 chapters story (if all goes as planned )!  
> Anyway,enough of me, enjoy!

Karen comes back to see him the next day, just before lunchtime, and asks if he wants to go grab a bite to which he replies positively. They go to a nearby dinner and as they wait for their food, they make small conversation which then turn into Karen talking about how the project is coming along and Frank asking how long she's been in New York. After explaining to him that being a florist is quite new to her, they keep on talking about her job. When the food arrives, the waitress founds them talking about New York. They tell each other what they love about it , their neighborhood and their favorite spots in town until they are done with their lunch. How Karen found New-York when she first arrived from her small town in Vermont. How Frank used to be scared of skyscrapers as a kid before going all the way up to the top of the Empire State Building. Or how she had never been on the subway before getting to New-York. 

In the end, as they exit the dinner, Karen realizes that she hasn't asked him any questions about the project but, smiling at him when crossing the street, she decides that it doesn't matter. They clearly both had a nice time and she can always asks questions another day if she really needs too. But she already knows that she wants more conversations with that man, no matter the topic. 

\-------------------------------------------

 

That same evening, Frank goes to his friend’s Curtis' bar situated around the block from his parlor. The two have met while on tour and have stayed close over the year. Curtis is the one good person that is constant in Frank’s life and they’ve been through everything together.   
He knows right as he enters and Curtis looks up at him with a smirk, that he’s not going to be able to just sit and listen as he usually does.

“Did you have a nice day? A nice lunch?” Curtis asks as he sits at the bar. Franks looks up at him, keeping a neutral face. Given his tone, he’s pretty sure that Curtis isn’t being just polite but if his friend wants to play it casual and innocent, he can too.  
“Are you not going to answer?”  
Frank sighs “Yeah, it was nice.”  
“Anything special happened?”   
“Just spill it out, Curt,” laughs Frank, “You’re no good at this.” 

His friends shrugs, handing him a beer “Fair enough, although to be said it’s because you’re not giving me much practice.” He ignores Frank’s raised eyebrow as he goes on “I saw you with a nice looking blonde lady at lunch. In the dinner across the street Care to elaborate on who she is?” Frank points at him with his beer as he goes to fetch a glass for a client “You’re too curious for your own good, Curt”  
Curtis comes back to stand in front of him “So? Who is she?”  
Frank shrugs “Just the florist from across the street, the one who opened about a little more than a month ago. She’s doing a decorative project with every business in the street and wanted to talk about it with me, for the parlor.”  
“Yeah? That’s nice. Did she take all the other shop owners out for lunch?” asks Curtis with a smirk.   
Frank glares at him. “Don’t be stupid, she's nice.” 

Curtis leans on the counter with a frown, “So what does that mean Frank? Why would her being nice means nothing could happen? Don't you deserve someone who is nice?” Frank shakes his head “Come on Curtis, it's not that. It’s just...it’s not like that. Don't you have customers you should attend to or something to do anywhere else?”  
“What you gonna do? Throw me out of my own bar?”   
Frank laughs, “Eh, I might try.”   
“Yeah, yeah, ok I see...Listen, I’ll drop the subject. Just...Sometimes it's good to let things happen. Don't be a wallowing asshole, Frank.” the man says as he cleans a glass.   
“How many times a day do you say that, Curt? Five? Ten? Don't you get tired of it ?”  
His friend points at the door, grinning. “I'm thinking of renaming my bar like that actually. What do you think?”  
“Get outta here”, he laughs.   
“You can’t tell me to just get out of my own bar, Frank.”   
“Watch me.”

\-------------------------------------------

 

The next day, Karen decides to take a break as the shop is quiet and she suspects that, with the rain pouring down, not many people are going to come buy flowers at lunch time anyway. She crosses the street after hesitating for a while to go visit Frank or not. She decide that their conversations have been friendly enough so far and that there’s nothing forbidding her to go see him. 

To her surprise, it’s not him she finds as comes in the parlor. Instead of the tall dark-haired man, a young man stands at the desk. Quickly getting over her surprise, she asks for Frank and the guy tells her that he is out and won’t be back before a few hours. She goes back to her shop wondering who the guy is and thinking that maybe it's for the best if she doesn't see Frank again on a third day after basically forcing him to have lunch with her yesterday. He's probably busy and has other things to do than chat with her about flowers or any other subject.

 

It doesn’t seem to be the case as he comes by a few hours later wondering if something's wrong and apologizing for not being there when she came in earlier. She waves his apologies off.  
“There’s nothing to be sorry about Frank. Don’t worry. I was just wondering if the young man I met was your assistant? I didn’t know you had someone working with you.”  
“Oh yeah, he’s my apprentice, he’s nice. He’s a kid that Curtis worked with in his veteran group and he seemed pretty into what I was doing so I thought I’d give him a chance. He only started last week.”  
“That’s really good what you’re doing. Giving him an opportunity like that,” declares Karen. Frank shrugs, “Yeah well, you gotta help your own, you know?”. She smiles, nodding.

“But he didn’t tell me what you came for so I was worried it might have been important.”adds Frank.  
She reassures him with a smile “I was just wondering if...we could have a chat over lunch, but now it’s obviously too late.” He shifts on his feet. “Oh yeah, you probably have questions left about the project?”   
“Yeah, a bit,” she shrugs – none really, but it didn't stop them from chatting yesterday so they can use that as an excuse as many times as they want as far as she's concerned.  
“Ah, I’m really sorry I missed you coming at the parlor, I was just out picking up stuffs and...I apologize.”  
“Stop apologizing, Frank,” she laughs,” It’s okay, really.” He nods, seemingly relieved, and steps up to the counter where she’s working on a package. 

“Have you started working on the arrangements yet? For the shop?” She signals for him to pass her the scissors next to his hand on the counter   
“No, not yet, I’m working on the ones I first went to see. The lingerie one and the bakery.” He hands her the scissors and aks, “Can I see? “  
“The arrangement?” He nods at her question.  
“Are you sure? It's just drawings and samples right now, it's not really interesting.” explains Karen.  
“Nonsense, it's your work. I just... I just wonder how you do it you know? How you come up with ideas and all that,” he shrugs.  
“Oh well, if you want, sure! Come in.” 

She stands up and walks to her workshop in the back, “I don't think it's much different from how you work, in concept, except that instead of drawing flowers, I use them.”  
“Yeah,”he mutters, “I bet you don't have anyone asking you for a bouquet in the shape of a pin up fish riding a tricyle”. She stops in her tracks and turns to face him “What?” He laughs at her reaction.   
“Wait, someone really asked you for a tattoo of that?” He nods, “Oh yeah they had even done the drawing and everything...”  
“How was it?” she asks biting her lips with a smile and he shakes his head. “Christ, it was awful.”  
“I'm guessing you said no.”   
“Course I said no! I'm a respectable tattoo artist, I don't do fish fetishism.”   
She can’t stop laughing as she pictures the scene and he joins her in her workshop.

\-------------------------------------------

 

Over the following weeks, they get a habit of visiting the other at least once a day, or more, for a coffee. He sometimes bring her a cup if he hasn’t seen her leave her shop in a while, knowing that she doesn’t have a coffee machine.   
She jokes that he is fueling her addiction to coffee and the next day, he brings her a cup of tea - “I bought a kettle for tea. I can’t drink that warm water, I need something stronger but I figured this would be nice for you to drink sometimes, it’s supposed to be relaxing or something like that. Well, that’s what the lady at the shop says, I don’t drink that shit”-. She laughs and thanks him, touched by the fact that he bought something for her, and included something permanent in his business for her. 

_[He first thought about buying the kettle and giving it to her, but he selfishly wanted a reason to keep on visiting her.]_

Now, he alternates between coffee and tea when he brings her a cup and she has to guess which one it is.   
Sometimes, she comes into his shop when she doesn’t have customers and they chat for awhile. She looks over at his new designs and he makes sure to tell her some of the ridiculous requests he gets. They go on a few lunch breaks together which means that Frank keeps on being teased by Curtis as they always go to the dinner in front of his bar. 

Frank has taken the habit of staying for a while everytime he brings her a cup and if he doesn’t have an appointment, especially at the end of the day. At first, he would leave as soon as the cup was in her hands but she asked him to stay for awhile and so he did. And she asked the second time and he stayed again. She doesn’t have to ask now. This leads to regular quick, or not so quick, chats in her workshop while she works on her orders and flower arrangements.

He just stands there looking at her while she is working, observing her hands and her ability to combine colours and flowers, play with length and size, textures and smells...She can feel his gaze on her and it doesn’t feel awkward or insistent or like a pressure. Well, it is a pressure but a good one, that makes her skin tingles and her inside warm. He asks questions about flowers and designs and the orders she’s receiving but most of the time they just chat about their clients, the movies or books they’ve seen or read.   
He isn’t allowed to see the design she’s coming up with for his shop and he has a feeling that she’s taking longer for him than for the other - which is definitely true because she wants ait until she’s almost done with the others to truly start and she wants it to be perfect and also a small part of her feels reassured by the fact that if she isn’t done with it yet then it means they have a reason to stay in touch (although it’s been at least two weeks since they’ve dropped the pretense of chatting about her project everytime they meet).

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

One morning, after coming in very early to finish an order that had just been picked up, Karen leaves her shop to visit Frank. She is used to seeing him across the street every morning when she opens up but she missed him by coming in so early and wants to see how he is, to keep up with their routine.  
As she closes her door, she notices that the curtains aren’t raised on the main window of the parlor which is odd. Arriving at the door, she finds a sign explaining that the parlor is going to be closed for two days. No reason is given. She goes to leave, disappointed that Frank hasn’t warned her but mostly worried, hoping that nothing bad has happened to him. 

As she is about to cross the street, a voice calls her name and, turning around, she recognizes the owner of the bar from the other side of the block. He’s introducing himself as Curtis and explaining that Frank is inside. They saw her outside, he says, and Frank is asking for her. She hurries in the parlor wondering what’s happening if Frank isn’t coming out himself and is struck by what she finds inside.

Frank is sitting on one of the chair with bruises on his face and what looks a lot like a bandage around his chest. She brings a hand to her mouth with a sharp breath. Before she cans say anything, he looks up and she notices a deep cut on his collarbone that seriously looks like it needs stitches. 

As soon as he sees the look on her face he goes to stand up, “Do you need anything?”   
She scoffs, “Do I need anything? Don’t be ridiculous Frank, you’re hurt. Badly.” He stands up fully, “If you need anything I can…”  
She shuts him up,“I don’t need anything, I just wanted to see you.”  
“Oh”, he seems startled by that and she notices how Curtis, now standing next to Frank after making him sit down, looks away from them to search for something in his first aid kit.

She takes a few steps closer to stand by him “Jesus, Frank, what happened?”  
“I, ouch, I got into a fight yesterday with a few guys trying to attack a girl when I was coming back from the boxing club.”  
“You should have come to me right away instead of waiting for the morning,” sighs Curtis.  
“The girl called the cops, I had to make a deposition and it was late when I came home. I just wanted to sleep Curt. I took painkillers and put on bandages. I was fine.”   
Curt sighs looking at the cut on his shoulder, “Fine, he says...This is going to need a few stitches.”   
“You do what you gotta do, Curt.”  
“Yeah, yeah I know the song” says his friends as he pulls the thread and needle from the box.

“So what happened exactly?” asks Karen  
Frank clenches his jaw as Curtis forms the first stitch on his collarbone, “I just saw two guys pulling this girl into an alley and heard her scream, I ran and when I arrived they were pushing her against the wall so I attacked them.” He says it almost nonchalantly as if it was part of his daily routine and as if he wasn’t being stitched up without anesthesia right at the same time.  
“Attacked them?”  
“Yeah. They did tried to fight back and one of them had a knife. I got distracted because they had a dog and I didn't want him to get hurt, so the guy got me but I still broke one this fucker’s arm and probably a few of his ribs and the other one just went straight up unconscious after a punch.”  
“...Jesus, how hard do you punch Frank?”  
He shrugs, receiving a light punch on the stomach from Curtis to make him stay still, “Hard enough.”

And as weird as the situation is, Karen can’t help but laugh a little. Her laughter is nervous and shaky and apparently Frank can feel that. He looks up at her, who’s now looking over him biting her lips, “Hey, I’m fine. It’s not too bad.”  
“You’re getting stitches and your ribs are bandaged and your face is covered in bruises. I don’t call that fine, Frank. I call that hurt and beaten up.” He grunts, “I’ve had worse, I’ll get over it. I heal fast.” She takes a step closer and crosses her arms “It’s not a reason!”  
He frowns “So what? I was supposed to just stay there and do nothing uh? Just walk past them and let her attack her? Would that have been better, uh?”  
“Frank, don’t be like that,”says Curtis.  
“Of course not!”, exclaims Karen “Of course you shouldn’t have just walked past it! I’m glad you stopped them and that they got arrested. But...but when you get hurt you need to take care of yourself. If that happens again, you go straight to see Curtis, okay?”  
He opens his mouth to speak but before he has the chance to say a word, she repeats “Straight to Curtis.”  
He nods, “Okay.”

“And”, she takes another step further, “If he’s not there, you come to me.” He nods again.  
“Okay?” she insists. “Okay”, he replies.  
“Okay”, she repeats softly  
Curtis looks up at her with a look between bewildered, as if he can’t quite believe that she just gave an order to Frank Castle, and that he said yes, and appreciative. 

She lets out a breath and, resisting the urge to run her hand through Frank’s hair, she asks if someone wants coffee. Both Frank and Curtis nod and she hurries to Frank’s office to prepare it.   
She likes his office, she thinks, as she enters the room. It’s different from the rest of the shop, a bit darker without the big windows at the back and the front of the shop, it’s almost bare and yet it feels very Frank. There is a picture of his family on his desk, a few papers and doodles next to the computer. 

She prepares the coffee and heads out with the cups on a plate. She stays until Frank’s stitches are done, sitting next to him, at first in silence before he starts asking her questions as he always does and she entertains him and Curtis with tales of her clients and some of the craziest things she has had to create during her studies.   
Despite the fact that Frank is getting stitched up and is bruised next to her, it feels so natural and comfortable to sit there in his shop and chat quietly. Curtis is nice and once he leaves, she shifts closer to Frank, helping him close his shirt, trying hard not to stare at his chest too much or keeps her fingers there too long. He thanks her with a smile and she tells him to go back home. He refuses of course, and she has to go back to her shop, worried that he is going to overwork himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr @iamacolor <3


	3. Violet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you again for the nice comments on the last chapter, I'm so glad people are enjoying this story!  
> This chapter is a bit darker than the previous ones as you'll find out about Karen's backstory (death and physical violence mentions are made) . I was a bit nervous about having to come up with a plausible backstory for her so I hope this one is satisfying.  
> Karen and Frank get closer and, to make up for the angsty bits, Curtis is back!  
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! <3

A few days pass during which Frank is visited regularly by Curtis to check up on his injuries. Despite Curtis’ regular visits, Karen is his most frequent visitor. She keeps coming into his shop, never letting him cross the street to visit her as if he was made out of glass or something, always bringing him pastries or some other stuffs. Although he enjoys her company a lot, more and more if he is honest with himself, it annoyed him at first because what? Did she think he was fragile or something? He had tried complaining about it to Curtis who saw right through him.

“Cut the shit, brother. You love the attention. You love her company. If you didn’t know I wanted to see you to make sure you were healing fine, I bet you would be running to her shop right now.”  
“Shut up, Curt.”  
All Curtis does is laugh in response leaving Frank to sulk on his own. 

After the initial discomfort at this new balance in their relationship passes, he realizes that it is Karen’s way of caring, preceding his needs and bringing him pastries to check up on him and reassure herself. He realizes that she isn’t doing this because she thinks he is going to break if he goes outside but because she think he would heal better if he stays inside, eating the food she is bringing him and drinking the coffee she is making him.  
Frank is just so used to being a carer, a protector, to being the one doing things for others, that being cared for, the way Karen cares for him, is something he didn’t know, or had forgotten, he could have. This is an evolution of their dynamic that he hadn’t planned but isn’t complaining about anymore. He has to get used to having someone else than Curtis taking care of him in a new way.  
By Friday, he is expecting her to walk through the doors, excited to see her when she does to bring him coffee. 

\---------------------------------------------

Another shift in their relationship, at least on his side and in the way he sees her, happens on the week-end.  
Curtis brings him to a shooting range and, to his surprise, he sees Karen in one of the booth. He wants to go over to her but something about her stops him in his tracks. Not only is he surprised to see how good she is, but mostly it’s the determination on her face as she aims and pulls the trigger that stops him. It’s not a look he knows on her, it’s new one. Assured but powerful, a bit aggressive. A whole side of her seems to open up in front of him. A darker, more mysterious one.  
She looks ready for battle with her long blond hair pushed to her back, her assured stance and her blue eyes darkened. It looks as though she might be having a real battle in mind, a real adversary.  
And he asks himself one more time “What's so special about her?” What is it about Karen page that draw him in, that won't let him rest. Why is she so smiley and kind and yet full of darkness and mystery? Why does it feel like living again when she looks at him?

And that glimpse into this side of her only attracts him more. 

Because he doesn’t believe in perfect people, he doesn’t believe in roads that have known no bumps and holes. And, as he suspected before, when she was elusive about her life in Vermont, Karen Page seems to have known a few bumps, to have some rough edges of her own, that he wishes he knew about. He wants to know everything about her, he thinks as he walks away, leaving her to have this moment to herself, resolved to ask about it later.

\---------------------------------------------

On Monday, he comes into her shop before she has time to come into his, bringing a cup of coffee and asking her how her week-end went. She replies a bit distracted because she’s cutting some flowers as she talks. He compliments her on her aim and asks how longs she’s been shooting. She raises her head in surprise, her eyes wide “How...how do you know?”  
He smirks at her reaction, “I was there this week-end, Curtis brought me. Says I have to find a way to burn off some energy, instead of sulking around walking in circles, since he forbids me to go back to boxing until my ribs are healed.” He huffs at that.

She furrows her brows, “He’s right to do so, you have to take care of yourself Frank.”  
“I am, don’t worry about me.”  
“Don’t tell me what to do”, She smiles. He leans on the counter and replies, “Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

A few seconds of silence during which Karen fiddles with some cut flowers on her counter pass, and Frank observes her movements. He hums, attracting her attention. “You’re gonna answer my question or what?” She startles, “What?”  
“Don’t play innocent with me, how long have you been shooting?”  
She raises her head before going back to cutting her flowers, and he knows she is going to be honest. “Since I was 15, my father taught me.”

He hums, then, when he feels that Karen isn’t closing off after mentioning her past as she usually does, he asks why she decided to come to New-York. That’s the big question she hasn’t answered yet. 

She stops cutting her flowers and looks up at him and he can see her hesitation, he can see her searching his face and he takes a step closer, leaning with both elbows on the counter, to let her know that she can trust him, that he would never do anything to hurt her and she seems to understand this as she asks him to follow him in her workshop. 

 

Running a hand through her hair, Karen sits at her table as Frank leans on it. She looks up at him and feels a sense of calm overwhelming her, at the thought that she is finally going to tell her story. She already can feel lighter because she knows that Frank won’t judge her, he makes her feel safer than anyone or anything ever did before. She starts speaking slowly, setting her breathing in rhythm with his.

“I had a brother, a younger brother. His name was Kevin. He was blond and tall like me and he loved reading and composing music. He moved out of my parents’ house when he was 23 and he changed after that. Became distant and always seemed tired but I could get through to him. We..we were close. I started to notice that he seemed to be getting worse and I didn’t know what to do. One morning after he hadn’t replied to my call, I went to check up on him and I…I found him in his room. And it could’ve passed as a normal suicide, I honestly thought he was just depressed and that I hadn’t been able to really understand what it was, but I found a note in his room that was suspicious and I searched through his stuffs and found more notes that all seemed either threatening or some kind of information for meetings. They had been kept by Kevin and organized, as if he was trying to say something, as if he was collecting evidence. I started to suspect that something was wrong and that whatever it was had been the thing that had driven my brother to end his life. So...I insisted at the police station that they should investigate on the case and after weeks of me insisting, and basically harassing the detective, the investigation started on Kevin.”  
She takes a deep breath and he reassuringly puts a hand on her shoulder before letting his knuckles caress the side of her arm. She starts talking again.  
“It turned out that...he hadn’t killed himself but that he was being bullied and manipulated into trafficking drugs and stolen goods and that he couldn’t take it anymore and he tried to stop it but his boss...his boss got him first.”She closes her eyes, her throat burning as Frank’s hand on her shoulder gets warmer and holds her tighter. She hears hims swearing but keeps on talking, determined to not cry and to get to the end of the story.

“The police found out that his “boss” was one of my colleague, one that I even liked!” She lets out a bitter laugh at that thought. “And that asshole had been...had been using Kevin and ruining his life all this time, while making jokes and small talk with me. And,...and it was all nightmarish from the moment he was found out. I was suspected of being into the trafficking with the two of them since I knew them both. Which was stupid as I was the one who insisted the investigation started and that I had no idea they even knew each other. The guy, my former colleague, went on the run to escape the police but …,” she takes a deep breath, pausing for a little bit, “He came to my house one evening to attack me because he said that I had ruined his life and he tried to …”

“Did he hurt you?” Frank asks with clenched fists (because even the idea that someone has tried, and might have succeeded in doing so, to hurt her, even in the past makes, his blood boil.)

“No, I...I managed to take his gun and shot him in the leg and shoulder to stop him until the police arrived.” His hand comes to rest on her shoulder again, grounding her in the moment.  
“Leg and shoulder? Nice work”, he says quietly

She lets out a shaky breath “Ah, yeah, that’s what the police said. I always have a gun in my purse now. I know he’s never coming back for me but it makes me feel safer.” She looks up at him, “... when things finally settled I decided to leave the town because things were becoming two much and I didn’t feel safe at my work place anymore especially when after two other people were arrested. So I came to New-York and chose a job as different as possible from my old one in accounting.” 

When she’s done telling him all of this, she takes another deep breath and stays silent for a while.

“What about your parents?” He asks softly  
“Hmm, they decided to leave town as well. It was their way of coping with my brother’s death and I decided to start everything new as I’m not that close to them anyway. Kevin’s death hasn’t helped things as they half-blame me for it since I knew the guy who was controlling him.”  
He tightens his grip on her shoulder, “That’s bullshit” he replies, “None of this is your fault”  
“Yeah,” she shrugs, “Well, they’re grieving so go tell them that.”  
“Hey, Karen, hey,” he searches her eyes as he lowers himself in front of her, “You did nothing wrong, okay?“

She takes a sharp breath, nods. He grabs a chair and sits on it so he can face her. “None of this is your fault and you did good, okay? Fucking brilliant, I’d say. Making sure the police were investigating, shooting the bastard and choosing a better life for yourself, that’s brilliant.”  
She nods again with a smile and they stay for a few seconds staring at each other until he adds, “I’m...I’m glad you came to New-York, okay? I’m glad you came here.”  
She reaches for his hand and hold it tight, needing to feel him closer somehow now that she had shared her past with him  
“Yeah, yeah me too.”

He smiles a crooked smile that softens his whole face and she thinks for a second that he is going to kiss her, or at least rest his forehead on hers because he’s definitely leaning towards her, when the shop bell rings making both of them pulls apart. (because yes, she also leaned slightly towards him)

They stand up and stay still for a few seconds. Before she has time to register what is happening, Frank is leaning forward and hugging her, whispering “You did good.” She barely has time to take in the feeling of his body against hers before he lets go and steps back, motioning with his head at her shop. Shaking her head, she hurries into her shop, not wanting her client to wait, as Frank lingers behind her. 

As she greets her client, Frank motions from where he stands that he’s going back to his shop and she quickly waves at him before turning her attention back to her client. As soon as he’s out of the room, she feels his absence.  
She hadn’t realized how aware of his presence she was until he left, how natural it was to have him close, so close to her. His hand on her shoulder, in her own hand, his breath on her face, his hands on her back, his chest against hers…And the way he took in her story, tried to reassure her, to be there for her, to comfort her and told her the words she had been dying to hear without even realizing it, ever since all these dreadful things happened. That she had done the right thing. That she wasn’t to blame for any of it.

She doesn’t know how to call it because it’s not as simple as a crush but she is afraid to call it love. But there’s no denying it: she’s into him. A lot. 

\--------------------------------------------

 

Under the good care of Curtis and Karen, Frank’s bruises and wounds are all (almost) gone and healed at the end of the following week and he can move just fine, thank you very much.

Right now, Frank is standing in front of Karen’s shop, thinking about offering her to go grab a bite after closing up. He hesitates, standing up straighter. They've had lunch plenty of times but never diner. Although they did get delivery a few times in the last week, when they're both working late, they never went out at night together.  
He thinks back to the day she told him her story. Her past is darker than he had expected but it only made him admire her even more. Admire her strength and determination, her bravery and her intelligence. Admire how put together and in control she looks while still recovering from these traumatic events. 

And Frank also can’t shake away the feeling of Karen pressed against him and his arms around her. It felt natural to reach out for her shoulder and rub her arm, felt natural to hold her this way and have her in his space. He hasn’t been that close to a human being for a long time and the fact the he broke out of his shell for Karen makes his inside flutter. She has this effect on him. Takes him by surprise and makes him want to know more, see more, get out more, try new things.

Deciding to act rather than waste time, he opens the door and steps inside of the shop, finding Karen watering some pots on the left wall. She greets him with a smile before turning around to finish what she is doing. He takes a few seconds to simply observe the way her hair fall on her shoulder, listening to her humming a tune softly and appreciating the fact that she is so relaxed in his presence. There have been no awkward moments between them ever since she told him about Kevin. It only brought them closer and made his heart race everytime he saw her because, damn, what a woman. 

Looking at his phone to check the time, he opens his mouth to invite her but before he can speak, he receives a string of texts from Curtis.

_C: Hey buddy, how about you come visit me and have a beer?_  
_C: There's just a group of tourists here who don't speak a word of English and they don’t speak any language I recognize, I need company._  
_C: Also, I need to check that you're alive_  
_C: If you don't come right now I'm going to kick your ass_  
_C: I have one less leg than you. Think about how stupid you'd look like if I beat you up._  
_C: Especially from another building_

Frank chuckles at the thought before typing a short reply.

_F: I'm busy_  
_C: Then bring her with you_  
_F: Her? I said I'm busy_  
_C: And I said bring Karen with you._

He grunts, putting his phone back in his pocket, which attracts Karen’s attention. “What is it?”  
He sighs, “Curtis is too smart for his own good.” 

She frowns, not understanding. He leans on the column by the door, “He wants me to drag my ass to his bar and...he wants me to bring you with me.”  
She puts down her watering can, brushing her hands on her skirt. “Did you tell him we were together?” Realizing what she just said, she raises her eyebrows in panic "...tonight, together tonight!"  
_(Christ, she's cute when she's nervous)_ “Nah I didn't, hence the too smart for his own good statement.”

Her brows furrow “Does it bother you?”  
“What does?”  
“That people know you... hang out with me? Does it bother you?”  
“What?” He frowns in return, wondering why the hell she would think something like that. How could he ever be bothered by anything that is about Karen Page? “Of course not! I go out with you for lunch almost every day, ‘course I don't mind, Karen.” 

“Then what is it? There's something, I can tell.”  
“It's just...” He runs a hand over his face as she takes a few steps towards him. “I like it when it's just the two of us and... Curtis is probably going to ask you a lot of questions and...”  
“And what... You don't like sharing me?” She asks with what looks way too much like a smirk for Frank's liking. “What? Nah, of course not” He scoffs.

She gets closer “Afraid he's going to attract all my attention tonight?”  
“Ridiculous.” Is she flirting? Damn.  
“Afraid I'll prefer him to you?” 

He hesitates for a few seconds because that's exactly it isn't it? Not her preferring Curtis after tonight but her preferring anyone else some day. Nothing, nothing traditionally serious that is, has happened between them and he's already afraid of her turning away from him.

“Nonsense.” And he hates that it sounds like a question.  
“Exactly”, she says in a soft voice, “Nonsense.” 

“Yeah?” He lets out in a breath, allowing her to see the worry on his face because he suddenly needs to be sure. She comes closer to him and he drowns in the blue of her eyes as she studies his face. “I'd love to spend some time with Curtis properly but... I like it very much too when it's just the two of us.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Of course Frank,” she smiles.  
“Good, that's good.” 

“So, what's it going to be?”  
He thinks for a few seconds and take breath, feeling reassured by the serenity in her blue eye. “I think we should go or Curt is going to hate me.” She laughs, “That man couldn't hate you for all the money in the world.” He nods, “Yeah, I don't deserve him.”  
“Nonsense Frank, you deserve the world.” 

And she says it with such certainty as if it' s obvious to her and, as his breath gets stuck in his throat, he wishes he could see himself as she sees him because that woman is so good to him, so good. He wants to reply that she is the one who deserves the world, because she does, but she cuts him with one strong look. He nods simply. 

“We're going then?”  
“Okay” he replies  
“Okay”  
And he doesn’t think she’s ever looked at him with more affection and care pouring out of her as she does in this moment. And it takes his breath away a little bit. 

What a woman. 

“Okay.” This seems to be there thing.

She goes to fetch her coat and bag before turning the lights off and he opens up the door for her, following her in the street. She turns to close the door and he leans on the door frame, looking at the way her hair frames her face and how she has this slight blush on her cheeks, which he suspects might be because he’s staring, which is something he likes to think about, a lot.  
Once she’s done, she turns towards him and grabs his arm firmly. “Lead the way!” 

 

When they enter the bar, Frank spots the usual crowd and a few group of friends but definitely no sign of a foreign tourist group.  
Damn Curtis, and his manipulating tendencies to get him to visit his bar. 

He leads Karen to sit at the bar right away, signaling his presence to Curtis who is busy serving a client. A few seconds later, during which Karen takes off her coat and he insist on her letting him take it so he can hold it for her, Curtis walks up to them, greeting them warmly. As soon as Karen takes a look around to compliment Curtis on his bar, Frank is the target of the smuggest grin ever known to mankind from Curtis. 

“Busy?” his friend mouths to him, “Shut up” he replies in kind. 

After a few minutes of small talk, Curtis asks Karen where she's from and what brought her to New-York and he can sense her getting tense on the stool next to him. He slowly puts his hand on her leg to reassure her, gives it a slight squeeze. Curtis notices, his eyes following Frank's hand but he doesn't say anything and keeps on preparing the drinks, which Frank is thankful for.  
“I wanted to try something new,” she says, “I'm from a small town in Vermont and I was tired of being an accountant so I thought I'd try my luck up here.”  
“Yeah, we all need change sometimes, don't we. To get away,” adds Frank  
“That’s definitely true. God knows I don’t regret coming here. And how are you finding New-York then, Karen? Got lucky?” asks Curtis with a smile as he pushes the beers to them. Karen thanks him, “It's been good so far. Real good. I like it here.” 

Frank is definitely not imagining the side glance she gives him if Curtis raised eyebrow in reaction is any indication. “I'm glad,” says the bar owner,” Your shop is a really nice addition to the neighborhood.”  
Karen’s face lights up, “Oh thank you! That's very nice of you to say. It was a challenge to open it but it's working very well so far.”  
“Yeah, Frank's been telling me about your project with the other shops? How's that coming along?”  
Karen turns to Frank, raising her eyebrows “You told him about it?”  
He takes a sip from his beer, shrugging. “Yeah, of course I did. It's great what you did with them.” 

“When can I see the flowers in your shop Frank?” teases Curtis.  
“Hm,” Karen tucks her hair behind her ear. “It's going to take me a few more days. Maybe a week? To receive what I need and set up some of the others in the mean time.” 

 

Karen likes Curtis, she decides as he keeps on asking her a few questions about her job, flowers, New-York and then tells her how he met Frank when they were serving together. He then moves on to the subject of basketball, which he's a big fan of and he is utterly delighted to find that she used to play basketball in high school and that she's still a very big fan.  
Next to her, Frank grunts as they start talking about teams and results and competitions which he has no interest in. "What's the deal in basketball anyway? Bouncing, that's all there is to it."  
“I finally found someone who seems to know as much as I do about basketball and is willing to talk about it with me so shut up and drink,” replies Curtis 

Karen laughs at the exchange observing the smiles and banter between the two men. They clearly share a deep friendship, a bond formed in war through hardship and battlefield but still strong today. She has seen Curtis taking care of Frank but she knows that Frank would do the same for him. And more. If Curtis met Frank while serving then it means that he knew Maria, Frank Jr and Lisa and has stood by Frank through his losses and hardships. And as she looks at them exchanging remarks, she is glad that Frank has someone like that in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how shooting range are organized so hopefully it is actually possible to see people in their different booths otherwise ...let's just pretend that you can!  
> Find me on tumblr @iamacolor <3


	4. Melianthus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's day everybody!   
> I thought it was fitting to post this chapter today as thing get pretty serious between Karen and Frank. The flower arrangement are revealed and developpments follow.  
> I really hope you'll like this chapter. It's full of feelings and fluff and hopefully it's not too lyrical or whatever.  
> Enjoy this chapter!! <3

“Come on let me see.”  
“No.”  
“Just let me see like a glimpse of it. You’ve been working on this for weeks. Fuck, I’m dying to know something.”  
“Don’t be dramatic, Frank. And don’t ask me again.”  
“Please.”  
“It has to be a surprise, Frank!”  
“It’s in my shop, don’t I have a say in it? Why does it have to be a surprise?”   
“Dramatic effect, that's why.”  
“That's more my thing though, isn't it? “  
“Good thing this surprise flower arrangement is for you, then!”   
“OK, ok I got it, Karen.”  
….  
“You could at least give me a clue...”  
“Nope”  
“Hmpf”  
She’s laughing when he leaves her shop.

\---------------------------------------------

 

By the end of the day, the installation is over. All the flowers and pots are settled around the place, looking exactly like she had imagined and designed. Karen stands near the desk, looking around to make sure that everything is perfect, her fingers tapping her lower lips betraying how nervous she is about the reveal.   
So far, all the shops owners have been satisfied with the arrangements and have asked for her to provide them regularly with more, which makes her think that with the success her shop is having so far and the orders coming in that will have to be made every week, as well as the new clients expected after the showing of her work in all these shops, she is going to have to hire an assistant. Even without the numbers and business side of things, she is proud to see her work ornate all the street with her card and name next to it. 

But Frank is special. He is more than just a nice professional neighbor. And she doesn't just know the story of his shop, she knows his story and she knows him. How he likes he coffee, how grumpy he gets when he has an annoying client, how his laugh sounds like when she tells a joke, how he looks when he's tired and how he smirks when he's proud of himself. She knows how his hands feel on her back, and on her skin, how he smells and how he looks when he’s vulnerable.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

The reveal of the flower arrangements makes him emotional. She took over his shop to set it up and it's a complete surprise for him. It's perfect he finds. Just like he knew it would be Nothing too big, several square pots of different sizes, dark flowers with bright white ones. He walks around observing each ornament, admiring the small details and the careful and delicate associations of flowers and leaves.   
He recognizes a few flowers by name. He's learned a lot about flowers ever since he started watching her work, sometimes asking questions or simply observing her shop. He moves on to the biggest ornament, the one on the coffee table in the sitting area (the other ones were near the counter, at the door or at the window and one near the tattoo chair). He can feel Karen observing his reaction from where she stands.

 

\---------------------------------------------

She watches him closely as he approaches the coffee table. He's been silent so far but she's learned since meeting him that silence can be talkative. And his current one is one of approval. He likes it. But this arrangement is a bit special, it used all the elements and most of the flowers used in the smaller ornaments but with a special addition. Or three. She studies his expression when he starts looking closely at the big ornament and the slight widening of his eyes tells her the exact moment he spots them.

3 dark peonies. 

They are right at the center of the ensemble circled by small white roses. No peonies were used anywhere else in the shop and she can see on his face when he looks up at her that he understands what they stand for. His family.   
She didn’t want the arrangement to be too dramatic and she really hesitated, thinking she might have gone too far with it. But this parlor is so filled with them, their story and their life. Frank himself is so filled with them that it felt wrong not to include them in her own way.

She smiles a little at him twisting her hand. His eyes go down to her hands, following the movements, before she finally stops.  
“Karen...”His voice is hoarse, rough, deep and emotional. Raw.   
“Do you like it?” She lays her hands open flatly on her thighs, trying to contain her breathing because something just shifted between them. There’s a new intensity that she can’t quite define but also doesn’t really want to. And he seems at loss for words suddenly. Which is weird because they’re just flowers.  
Except they’re not, they’re really not. 

And he is standing tall, walking over to where she stands. Slowly as if not to scare her, as if he was letting her the choice to move and break the moment. But she won’t move, she couldn’t move even if she wanted to because his stare is magnetic. And she doesn’t want to. Not at all. She wants this and she’s brave enough to admit it to herself, to let her whole being warm up with how much she wants it.And the determination in his eyes makes her stand up a little straighter, a little taller. 

He is in front of her now. His eyes are burning her and she can feel the energy radiating off of him and suddenly his presence is so damn electrifying. She wants to touch him. She wants to explore him.   
He raises his hands with the same look of determination he had when he walked up to her but once again, he moves slowly. To let her know she can back away if she wants, she can stop this.  
She smiles at him.

He wraps his hands around hers.   
Her long and thin hands, peppered with little cuts and scars from working with flowers all day long.

He holds them up to his mouth and kisses them. He takes his time. Kissing lightly over her wrist, over a note written hastily on the inside of her left one. A shopping list of some sort but now, now...now it seems to Karen as if it is some sort of masterpiece because Frank’s lips are on it. Frank’s lips are touching her skin.   
Lips against ink and skin. Which is fitting for him. 

He then kisses his way across her palm, tracing the lines there with his lips before moving on to her fingers. One by one. And onto the other hand.   
Karen feels...feels like she’s both flying and more grounded than she’s ever been. She feels alive and strong and yet so vulnerable. As if she was standing on a wire that was giving her vital energy but also had the power to bring her down. His touch is light, so light. But the lightest of touch can sometimes ignite the biggest of fires. 

When he’s done with her hands, he looks up at her and she feels herself taking a deep breath – has she been holding her breath all this time? - as his eyes explore her face. He’s looking for doubts, he’s looking to see if she want this or not. “He wants to make sure I’m okay with this, that he’s not overstepping” she thinks And she almost laugh at how sweet this is. She sighs instead. 

He frowns, tightening his grip on her hand. _“Is this okay?”_  
She smiles once again, closing her fingers around his hands as much as she can _“Of course it is”_

And she almost laugh again at how natural it is to have this silent communication with him. They’re talking through touches and it feels like home.

 

But Karen wants more than hands in hands and lips on wrists and fingers. She wants hands on waist and hand in hair and lips on lips and lips on neck and tongue on tongue. And more. She wants it all and she decides to get it, letting go of his hand to wrap hers slowly around his neck, feeling him tense up under her, his breath quickening, his eyes darting to her lips.   
And, as easily and as naturally as she turns her keys everyday into her lock to open the shop that feels like home across the street from him, she kisses him. His lips are warm against her own and softer than she imagined. His hands stay hanging in the air between them before settling on her waist and bringing her closer to him. Lips to lips and chest to chest. Arms around waist and back and shoulder and hands roaming around as they taste each other and deepen their kiss. He hums in her mouth and she holds on tighter, making them almost sway. 

His hands leave her waist and she almost, almost, whimpers at the loss of contact. He chuckles against her lips which she takes an indication that she did in fact whimper but she’s stopped in her desire to defend her honor because suddenly his hands are in her hair and her minds finds that it’s much more interesting to just feel rather than think. 

He breaks the kiss a few seconds later, leaning his forehead against hers as she wraps her fingers around his wrists, his hands still in her hair on both sides of his face.

“So all it took were a bunch of flowers?” She jokes, “I should have done that earlier.”  
He laughs, throwing back his head. “Yeah, I’m old fashioned like that. I don’t kiss if I’ve not been given flowers.”  
She bites her lips “So do I need to bring you flowers everytime I want to kiss you? Or is that just for the first kiss?”  
“Um I like the first idea but I wouldn’t want you to run out of flowers to sell so let’s just keep this as a one time thing.” She scoffs, “Run out of flowers? You’re so full of yourself”  
He kisses her forehead instead of replying before trailing his lips down the side of her face and holding her tighter while she rests her hands on his hips. Finally, they kiss again.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

She doesn’t go home with him that night. He doesn’t mind. Because it’s all still a little too much, a little too new and although they clearly both want each other, he wants to take his time. Wants to get used to not being alone anymore. And it seem like Karen wants that too. He kind of needs it if he’s honest. He’s not afraid of much, Frank, but messing up the start of something with Karen? That scares him. He needs a moment.  
That moment of transition from “I thought I’d never have someone that would be mine again. I thought I was alone for ever.” to “Oh, it’s you, you feel like home. I want to spend every day with you.”

He’s still on a high from kissing her earlier. From the feeling of her hands against his lips and her eyes burning right through him. And her lips against his. And her lips returning his kisses.   
Karen Page enjoys kissing him. Wants to kiss him. Likes it. Likes him. And it’s enough to make him feel like a teenager again. 

His head is clouded with her, so full of her that if anyone were to ask him a question about anything on his way home, be it the weather or a direction, the only thing he could answer would be “Karen” or “Her eyes”, if not “Her hair”. And he doesn’t even care how cheesy that sounds.

 

Their first night comes a few days later. She is the one taking him to her place and he follows her in silence like a dam puppy because he’d follow her anywhere. And he knew, tight from the moment he walked into her shop that evening by the way she looked at him, that he wasn’t leaving her tonight. That she wanted him with her at all time. And he was too happy to oblige. Too happy to have her in his arms, to explore her. Too happy. 

Is there such a thing as being too happy, he wonders. Or is it simply because he had forgotten what love felt like? He had forgotten how it can feel so big, too big for your own body, so big that you feel tiny compared to your own feelings. Tiny compared to the strength of what it is to be with someone.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

The next morning, he draws on her. She’s lying on her stomach in bed and he’s sitting next to her, running his fingers along her spine in abstract patterns that make her skin tingles, before suddenly turning around and getting up to grab his jeans and taking something out of his pocket. Before she can ask, what he is doing, he is back in bed with her, a glint of mischief in his eyes. He stops her question with a kiss and invites her to lay back on her stomach again. His smile, full of excitement and a sort of desire that Karen has never seen in him before, is too irresistible for Karen to even think about saying no to him. 

A few seconds later, she gasps at the feeling of a pen brushing her skin. She feels him laughing at her reaction next to her, his chest shaking slightly. He starts tracing lines and she understands what he is doing. He is tattooing her, drawing something at the base of her neck with a black marker.   
“Do I get a say in what you’re doing there?”  
“No, you do not.”  
“Do I get to know what you’re drawing then?”  
“Nope.” 

He's drawing slowly as she questions him and he tells her ridiculous things he might be drawing. She laughs and the pen is tickling her skin. He keeps on pushing her hair out of the way, taking a few seconds each time to run it through his fingers. When he's done, she rushes to stand up to before he can stop her and goes to the bathroom to try and see what he's drawn but it's too high and right on her spine at the base of her neck and she can't make it out. It might be a flower but she can’t see enough of it to be sure.   
Leaning on the door frame, she asks him again what it is and pouts when he refuses to tell her and even – how dare he - starts laughing at her. She thinks about insisting but,  
well, she likes seeing him happy, smiling, half naked and relaxed - in her bed! - too much to keep on asking him. She'll ask someone else later on if she has to. She doesn’t mind it anyway and kind of likes having something on her body that's from him. She returns to her bed, kissing his forehead and letting him hold her close and kiss his way around her face.

“A little white rose,” he whispers in her ear between kisses and she holds him tighter pressing her lips to his collarbone, right above his scar. It’s her flower now, she decides.

He doesn’t stop with a flower at the back of her neck. Taking advantage of the day being a Sunday which means no need for either of them to get up and open their shop, no need for either of them to be anywhere but right here in this room together. Tangled up and touching.   
A few more times, he chooses a spot on her body and draws something that she can't look at. She has to guess what he's drawing, which she never does because the feeling of his hand and his fingers on her skin are a bit too distracting to focus on the lines he is tracing. Not that she isn't conscious of every single one of them when he traces them but she can't form the shape in her head. She already has an intricate and delicate maze, embellished with little white roses once again, on her ankle; a simple cup on the outside of her right elbow; two hands holding on the back of her left knee.   
Frank Castle can be corny as hell when he is in the mood. 

At the moment, he is tracing something on her ribs, right below her right breast. His hands are warm on her stomach and she is playing with his hair.   
She tries to be sneaky and to look at what he's doing, tries to catch a glimpse but it only leads to him covering whatever he's drawing with his hand and threatening to stop and let her with an unfinished drawing “Is that what you want, uh? To go outside with a half of whatever it is I’m drawing down there? Looking ridiculous?”  
She laughs and slaps the top of his hand gently, “It's on my ribs Frank, no one but you and me are going to see it”   
“I should hope so,” He scoffs. 

After a few seconds of staring into her eyes, when he's satisfied that she won't look down again, he returns to his drawing.  
She stays silent for a while, simply enjoying the quiet and the softness of this moment when she hears him mutters something . “What did you say?” she whispers. She doesn’t know why she is suddenly whispering but it seems fitting all of a sudden.  
“That you could never look ridiculous whatever you were wearing or whatever was on your skin.”   
She stays silent, hands hovering in the air above his shoulder, eyes wide and eyebrows rising. He looks up at her “Shit, that was cheesy,” he laughs.  
“It's okay, I liked it” She caresses his shoulder.  
“Good, cause it's true.”  
“Are you done soon?”  
“Impatient, are we?” And his smile is just a tiny bit smug but, damn, she likes it.  
“To kiss you, yeah.”  
“Who says you can't kiss me?” He looks almost offended at the thought.  
“Your face is near my ribs and you won't move because you're apparently reproducing the Sistine Chapel ceiling over there so it's not the best situation for kissing you,” she declares very matter-of-fact.  
“Well, you'll have to be patient then,” and he marks the end of his sentence by dropping a kiss underneath her left ribs.  
She kicks him in the shoulder.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

The next Sunday, they're standing in Frank’s kitchen, having breakfast after she had spent the night at his place. Karen is sitting on one of his stool as he leans on the counter to her side, picking at food on his plate. 

They had met the evening before after his group session with Curtis and the other veterans – he didn’t go there as often as he used to these days, but he still felt the need when he was overwhelmed. He loved what he had with Karen and he would never regret it but it was a lot to take in, he had never planned on being with another woman than Maria and he was suddenly seriously seeing a future for himself rather than a day to day life. Which was scary in a way he hadn’t expected it to be. Karen hadn’t seem to mind when he told her he wanted to go to group and she had simply smiled at him and said that she would come and pick him up afterwards. He didn't contribute much to the group that evening, mostly sat there and listened. Talked a bit with Curtis. That helped him. Grounded him. 

Instead of going to their usual dinner, he had brought her home to cook for her. Not one to sit around while people were doing things for her, Karen had insisted on helping him prepare the meals and had become his cooking assistant for the night. She was taking her role really seriously, making sure that everything was well cut and cooked before allowing him to kiss her, washing everything thoroughly because “You don’t joke with hygiene, Frank, you should know that as a tattoo artist!”

 

Seeing her now, sitting with her hair up in a messy bun, wearing an old t-shirt, simply having her in his personal and private space feels like the beginning of something so wonderful. It was new and made his heart beat faster but he also admires how easily and naturally she fits into his world. She seems like she belongs here in his kitchen, facing the pictures of Maria and the kids, even smiling at them when he explains when they were taken. Nothing about this feels wrong and he has to remind himself that it is real and not another one of his early morning dreams that turn into nightmares. 

Karen is real. Karen is here. Karen is staying. She is alive and with him, here for him. The second chance at happiness he was never supposed to have and had anyway. It doesn’t matter if he deserves it or not in the end. All that matter is how they make each other feel. Which, if last night is any indication, is good, really good. 

 

He can sense the shift in her mood by the way her eyes suddenly flickers all around his face and her hand puts the toast back in her plate before she bites into it. She opens her mouth to start speaking before closing it again. Reaching out for her hand, he caresses her knuckles with his thumb, letting her know that he will listen to whatever it is that she has to say. She asks him slowly and he can see that she is a bit nervous because this is so important to her.

“I was thinking...Since I met Curtis a few times now that you could meet one of my friend? His name is Foggy. He’s a lawyer I met when I first arrived to NY. We lived in the same building and became quickly friends . I also became friend with his business partner Matt. They're the first people I really met in NY and Foggy basically feels like family now. He's funny and sweet and good, better than he thinks,” she says, and she’s rambling a little which is adorable, “and Matt is working abroad right now for a NGO but Foggy still lives in NY so I thought it could be nice to have a drink all together? What do you think?”

The simple way her eyes light up when he talks about her friends, especially Foggy, tells Frank all he needs to know for now and he makes his decision quickly. “If you want me to meet him, I'll meet him. He sounds like a good guy.“  
“He's the best.“  
She reaches for his arm and squeezes it, smiling widely at him. He leans and kisses her forehead.

\---------------------------------------------

She calls Foggy later to schedule a meeting and they agree to meet up at a bar on the next Tuesday. He is happy to get a call from her and apologizes for not calling her as often as he should. She doesn't care, she knows he's busy and he sounds delighted when she proposes to meet for a drink and she can feel him almost exploding with curiosity when she mentions that she will bring someone with her, someone important that she wants him to meet. He laughs at that. “Weren't you supposed to focus on your carreer and yourself, Miss Page?”   
“Yeah, well sometimes life has unexpected plans for you.”  
“Clearly! I cant’ wait to meet him!”  
“Good” She smile seven if he can’t see her because she knows he is being honest. Always has been.  
“Do I get any info about the guy or do I have to make guesses?”

She can hear his excitement and curiosity on the other side of the phone but she doesn't want to give him too many details. She knows that grumpy vet who owns a tattoo parlor and does boxing competitions isn't really going to reassure her friend. She wants him to see Frank for what he really is, to see him with her. 

“You can try but I think it’s better if you just meet him rather than me talking about him, I think.”she explains  
“Hmm, should I be worried about that? Is he the kind I wouldn’t usually like?” he asks with a hint of worry in his voice. She is quick to reassure him, “No, nothing bad, don’t worry. i'm enough of a grown up to make the right choice when it coems to the people I take into my life. He’s just too much for me to reduce him into a few sentences over the phone.”  
“Too much...”  
She shrugs even if he can’t see her because she doesn’t know how to say it otherwise. “Yeah too much.” 

There’s a short silence at the end of the line “Of what?”  
“Of himself.”  
“Yeah...Are you getting cryptic like Matt? You know it’s hard enough for me to handle him, please don’t make me have two cryptic friends, please Karen.”   
She laughs wholeheartedly because he’s right, Matt can be cryptic as hell sometimes. “It’s nothing like that Foggy. Listen he’s...he’s unique, okay?”  
“You’re really into him, aren’t you? I can tell this is serious.” The worry is gone from his voice now and in its place there’s only warmth. Good old Foggy.  
“Yeah, yeah I think it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the surprise of Foggy's "appearance" at the end! You can expect a lot of him next chapter!  
> As alway, find me on tumblr @iamacolor <3


	5. Honeysuckle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone !!   
> So this chapter wasn't planned at all when I planned the stroy but it just srpung on me and one scene became one of the biggest chapter of the story so hopefully you'll like it! You're going to meet Foggy (whom I had a blast writing and hopefully you'll appreciate my version of him) and the progression of Karen and Frank now that they are together.   
> Also, in advance, as you can expect when a lawyer is introduced, legal procedures are mentionned and I just want to say beforehand that I don't know anything about how it works in the US so hopefully it's plausible and if not, well...this is an AU!   
> Thank you again for reading this story <3 Enjoy!

Frank has an appointment late on the day they are supposed to meet Karen’s friend so he joins them directly at the bar knowing that Karen will have enjoyed finally spending time with Foggy. 

As soon as he enters the bar, he spots Karen right away in a corner booth. It’s like he has an internal compass always pointing right at her. She is facing the entrance and by the way her cheeks are red and her eyes are glistening, he can see that Karen must have laughed a lot in the last 30 minutes or so that she spent with her friend.

His heart fills with a warmth he’s come to associate with her, a warmth he welcomes as she smiles at him from across the room when she spots him near the entrance. She waves him over and he walks across the room, wondering what her friend’s reaction to him will be. He knows that Karen didn’t say much about him and probably hasn’t told her friend about him being the tall, dark and large, brooding type. He can imagine easily her friend’s surprise at seeing Karen with him and his combat boots, his bruised knuckles and rough edges. He’s not her type, he’s not the best she can do, that’s for sure. But she chose him, he has her now and he doesn’t plan on letting her go so anyone who dares criticize them is welcome to fuck off. 

Karen’s friend has his back to him but the closer he gets to the table, the more familiar he oddly seems. The man turn around when he reaches his chair, his eyes widening when Frank faces him and as it rarely happens to him, Frank find himself dumfounded. 

What the fuck.

“Castle?” 

_God-fucking-damnit._

“Nelson. Wasn’t expecting you.”

“Me... neither. I cannot believe this.” The round faced man runs his fingers through his hair.  
“Is this going to be a problem?” asks Frank, voice rough because this wasn’t supposed to happen, this wasn’t supposed to be what his evening was going to be like and he hates it.

“Wait,”Karen reaches for him, attracting his attention by putting her hand on her arm and squeezing it lightly, “you two know each other?”  
“Yeah you could say that,” Frank looks at the ground not sure if he is ready for what’s about to happen. Nelson speaks up. “Yeah, yeah we do, I was his attorney.”

Frank doesn’t think he has ever seen Karen with eyes this wide “His attorney? Why would you need an attorney for, Frank?”   
He grunts in reply. She doesn’t let it go. Of course, she doesn’t.   
“Frank?” He sighs and sit on the chair next to her “I...I got in trouble once.”  
“Yeah, you can say that” laughs Nelson. Frank glares at him to let him finish his story. “Uh, remember when I had to get stitches for that aggression I stopped a few weeks ago?”  
“Of course I remember! Did..something similar happen?”

He rubs his knuckles “Yeah, I …” How is he supposed to say what happened?   
“Just spill it out,” says Nelson.   
Easy for him to say, he thinks as he glares at him, Karen growing more concerned by the second. “I was walking home from Curtis bar, I wasn’t drunk, I promise, but I saw these guys tagging my windows. The window of Maria’s shop. And I kind of…I started seeing red so I walked up to them to stop them and I, honest to God, just shoved one of them first, but then they all started ganging up on me and another had the brilliant idea of getting a knife out and well, you already know...A knife isn’t going to stop me.”  
“So he stopped them, for good.”added Nelson, “And someone from the building called the police who arrested them all and one of the idiots had the brilliant idea of charging Castle for aggression after getting two of his ribs fractured and another a few broken fingers.”

Karen raises her hand to her mouth in shock. She seems at loss for words. Her silence is making Frank’s heart race up. He can’t blame anyone but himself for this, he knows his reaction had been violent, really violent. Not that he really regretted it but he knows he could have been efficient without breaking so many bones. 

What worries him is how Karen is going to see him now. What if she suddenly decides that he has too much baggage and that she doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore? What if – and that thought is worse than any other- ...what if she’s scared of him now? He tries to reassure himself by thinking that she already knows he can be violent and that her reaction to it had been to insist he took care of himself. But still, what if?  
A thousand similar questions rush through Frank’s mind as Karen looks between him and Foggy. He is frozen on his chair, he can’t find it in him to say anything because what the hell is he even supposed to say? His past is what it is and he can’t change it. 

Nelson speaks up, in reaction to Karen’s shock and silence and for a second Frank is afraid that he might try to speak Karen out of this, that he might convince her to end it with him. He hates himself for thinking this right away because no one can tell Karen Page to do anything she hasn’t set her mind to anyway.  
But Nelson doesn’t go that road.  
“He wasn’t really charged, you know? The police officer at the station didn’t believe the guy saying he was innocent and “not doing anything” when Castle attacked him, after they all made their depositions and it was clear that it made no sense. It was said that he couldn’t charge your boyfriend for an aggression when he was the one trespassing so Castle wasn’t charged. His violent reaction to the event was deemed a bit “over the top” and unnecessarily violent but he got nothing bad. I made sure of that.” 

Karen nods, seemingly relieved. “So...you gonna say anything or what?” Frank finally asks “This is..this is kind of freaking me out.” She turns to face him and he swears he can’t read what she’s thinking on her face which is scary.   
“I..I have to ask something, again.”  
He nods “Yeah, anything. I’ll tell you anything.”  
“Okay.”  
“So..”  
“Jesus Frank, how hard do you punch?”

There are a few seconds of silence, the time it takes him to remember her reaction when she had found him being stitched by Curtis in his shop. He shakes his head with a laugh. What a woman. 

“Dammit, Karen, not the reaction I was expecting.”  
“Yeah well, not the information I was expecting either! Foggy and you know each other!!”  
He raises an eyebrow “That’s what you’re getting from this? That moon-face over here and me know each other?”  
“Hey! Don’t moon-face me when you look like you’ve had your nose broken at least a thousand times” objects Nelson. “Still better than being moon face,“ scoffs Frank. So what if he is being childish right now? Karen stayed , it’s all that matters.  
“Nice to see you too Castle, I had forgotten what an asshole you could be.”

Karen stops them before they can get any further into the argument. “Guys could we focus on the matter at hand here?”  
Looking a bit sheepish, both Nelson and him focus their attention back on her again. She runs a hand through her hair before tugging it behind her ear. “I don’t, um...approve of what you’ve done Frank. I want you to know that. It is obviously not okay to break people’s bones for tagging a window, or just in general but I’m glad nothing too bad or serious came out of this. I just…," she lets out a breath and stares intensely at him, "Is your default mode attack or something?”  
“Uh,” he scratches the back of his head, “I guess?”   
She sighs, “This was a long time ago though so it’s good. I don’t like it but it’s behind you now. It’s okay.”  
“Yeah?” And he knows she can read the question on his face _“Are you still okay with us?”_   
She squeezes his hand reassuringly “Yeah” _“Of course”_

Sitting up straighter, she shakes her head to gather her thoughts, “Anyway this was a long time ago so let’s not..let’s..uh drop it, okay?”  
“Good idea!” says Nelson a bit too loudly, looking uncomfortable, before Karen adds quickly “When was it though?”   
Her friend grunts “Ugh, Karen you’d say you’d drop it!”

Frank replies,“A little bit more than four and a half years ago.” He looks her straight into the eyes when he says it and he can see the exact moment she figures out the date. 

Only a few months after his family’s death. Needless to say he wasn’t in the best of mood when it happened. He waits to see what she is going to do but she only squeezes his hand and exhale slowly. Something unsaid passes between them. She doesn’t like it, doesn’t like that he can be prone to violence but she understands what must have gone through his mind at the sight of the shop, _Maria’s shop_ , being damaged only a few months after her death. 

She understands more than anyone how loss can make you reckless and desperate. He nods and she nods back while Nelson watches them silently. He can see that Nelson has hesitation and doubts about Karen being with him. He probably only remembers him as an angry mess and worries about his friend being with such a man. The lawyer looks between the two of them, Karen with her hand still on his, and he seems to accept it somehow and stay silent.

“Okay, well” she speaks softly now but there’s a hint of humor in her eyes and he knows suddenly, deep in his bones, that they are going to be okay, “Just have to get used to being with a criminal, that’s all.”  
He huffs “Karen...”   
“Hey, I’m kidding, it’s all I can do right?” He raises an eyebrow, she shakes her head. “What else was I supposed to do when you drop something like that on me?”  
“Come on Karen it's not like he ever ...I don’t know, killed anyone.” says Nelson  
Frank stays silent because well...That’s definitely not true. Surprisingly, Karen is the one to break the silence.  
“Foggy... he is an ex Marine. A former sniper, pretty sure that was his job.”  
Nelson tilts his head in thoughts, “Oh yeah, that's right. Fuck, you’re scary, Castle.”

Frank is surprised that Karen doesn't seem to mind that he killed. It made sense now that he is faced with it.She only ever knew him as a former marine therefore someone who had fought and probably killed. Karen never knew him before the war and the loss and she immediately accepted him as he was and was able to do so because she knew loss and violence in her own way. She doesn’t mind the war and the bloody past, he knows that now and feels ridiculous for ever doubting her. 

Maybe she felt it in him. Recognised it. And she didn't mind because It allowed her to show her own darkness and rough edges to him. He remembers that she shot the guy who manipulated her brother (she had later revealed to him that she also knocked him out with a gun until the police arrived) and he wonders once again what made him deserve such a woman.

Clearing his throat, Nelson speaks up, waving his hands to attract their attention. “I got an idea, since the mood is kind of ruined for now, how about we head out and find a nice little place to eat to have some comfort food? Uh? What do you say, dear old neighbor of mine?"  
Karen does a small laugh.“I think it’s a good idea, Foggy.”

\--------------------------------------------

 

A few moments later, Karen is sitting in a bar-restaurant sipping a beer next to Frank and facing Foggy, waiting for food, answering whatever questions they can come up with for her to avoid talking with each other. She knows the earlier revelation has made things awkward but she is sure they could get along well if they tried.   
”Guys. Remember how we came here to get rid of the awkward tension? How about you start talking to each other instead of asking me questions, which is ridiculous since the only reason you are both here tonight is because you both know me. And don’t even try to convince me that you really want to know how to grow tulips Foggy, you don’t even know what they look like.” Smiling sweetly, she takes a sip of her coffee as Frank chuckle.

Leaning back, Foggy raises his hands in apologies “Do you know what Karen? Your smile and sweetness are more threatening than any weapon known to mankind. I can hear the 'I’ll kill you both if you don’t do as I say', the pure threat behind it.”  
“Yeah she can be scary, all right,” adds Frank  
“I can’t believe this is what you’re agreeing on.” pouts Karen. All she gets is a laugh from Foggy and a nudge from Frank.

The waitress walks over with their food which seems to prompt Frank to finally engage a real conversation with Foggy. “So, Nelson, you're from around here?”  
“Yep,”nods the lawyer, “Hell’s Kitchen, born and raised.”   
“Yeah? Never thought I’d meet a lawyer from there. It's not really known for its integrity”  
“Exactly! That’s why I became a lawyer. Not that my mum ever understood that. She didn’t like me being a lawyer.”

Karen can feel what’s coming and, ironically, prays that Frank will resist asking any further questions. Which he doesn't “Why? I’d have thought your ma’ would’ve been proud of you for that.”   
Foggy sighs dramatically “She was when I graduated but she always was more concerned about me making money than having a job I’d like. I’m going to tell you the story about how she wanted me to be a butcher.”  
Karen groans “Here we go again, spare me, please” which makes Frank raise an eyebrow. “Am I missing something here?”   
She shakes her head as Foggy grins “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Ok, so, “starts Foggy, “ever since I was a little boy, my mom has wanted me to be a butcher. Said it was a steady job with a good income that would never go out of business. All throughout high school she kept telling me ‘Son, you should be a butcher, it’d be good for you.’ but I kept saying ‘No, Ma, I won’t’. She kept insisting until I graduated from law school and I told her one last time ‘No, I will not become a butcher!’” 

Karen hates that he looks so damn proud of himself for telling that story again. Meanwhile, Frank is staring at him   
“That’s it? That’s your story?” He shakes his head “Christ, Nelson, you sure know how to waste my time.” Karen can detect the hint of a smile on his lips and smiles at Foggy who simply shrugs at Frank’s reaction.   
The conversation moves on from there to Frank’s origins and Foggy’s studies and him meeting Matt and Frank joining the army...while Karen, who knows most of the things being said anyway, sits there making remarks from time to time but mostly happy to just be there in the presence of these two men who mean so much to her in two very different ways. She is simply enjoying their interactions, feeling content. 

Foggy then starts talking about how he met Karen and before she knows it, they’re sharing memories of their time as neighbors. They’re laughing telling Frank about how one of their neighbor decided to paint over the entire corridor for no reason whatsoever, which ended up with him putting all the paint cans in front of Foggy’s door and his ladder in front of Karen’s, making for quite a disastrous exit for them both when they left their apartments. And about how Karen was once so sleep deprived that she cooked all her pasta at once and they ended up having to eat pasta for three days which made Foggy stop eating pasta for a month.

“Fuck Karen, how much pasta did you cook?” asks Frank  
“A lot, clearly.”   
“Three days?”   
“Look I was sleep deprived and the pot wasn’t full so I just kept putting more into it and then I thought it would be a good idea to fill the other pot.”  
”Three days, Karen, three days.”   
“Oh, shut up.”

There was also that time Matt had a 10 minutes conversation with a neighbor in the hallway who was only half dressed and carrying the ugliest bird they had ever seen on his shoulder; Matt being blind had, of course, no idea what was happening as he talked about real estate prices in Manhattan. And Karen could not refrain from telling the story of how their landlady was persuaded that Foggy and her were dealing drugs because of all the plants she brought back home and because Foggy had long hair which made her call the police and Karen then had to explain the situation to a very annoyed policeman while her landlady kept insisting that “there was something dodgy about that Nelson boy, his hair is too long, officer”. It was later on revealed that the landlady was growing cannabis in her bathroom.   
Franks barks out laughing when Karen reveals that fact as Foggy mumbles “...and she had the audacity of judging my hair.”

Remembering all those time spent with Foggy makes Karen once more eternally grateful for his presence in her life. This first year in New York would not have been possible without him helping her since day one when she had trouble (already) with the landlady. He is, in a way, the thing that helped her get through getting a diploma, moving to a new town, grieving and setting up a business, with Matt’s help. Her life is so good now because he's been here since day one. She knows she could have done it without him but she also knows that she would have struggled much more and cried much more than she did.

And it might be the one too many beer she’s had this evening or just pure love from him but she leaps over the table to hug him tight. As he hugs her back with a laugh, she thinks that it’s a shame Matt is absent but he probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate the 'Frank Reveal' as she calls it, and move on from it, the same way she did - not that she wasn’t shocked or disturbed by it but Frank has changed since then and the man she knows today is not the same as the one who was arrested so she can let it go, let it slide and accept him as he is today, with her.   
Plus Foggy, has literally been there since day one so whatever. She lets go of him when he signals that she’s almost chocking him.

\--------------------------------------------

 

The night goes on like this, through memories and jokes and beers until Frank clears up his throat to announce the end of the evening “Sorry guys, I don’t want to interrupt you when you’re talking about such interesting matters - no honestly tell me more about that constitution’s article Nelson, I’m fucking enthralled by it - but we have work to do tomorrow so we better get back home.”  
“Wow, how military of you to remind us our duty and of the time, Castle.”  
Karen nods at Foggy's words, grinning, a little tipsy “Yeah, don’t ruin it Frank.” He laughs, standing up.   
“Yeah, Fraaank you’re ruining it!!"exclaims Nelson, "Oh fuck, no sorry,... this beer is making me forget how scary you are ...and it’s making me say this out loud, please don’t kill in my sleep, Castle. I’m too sweet to die, especially right now.” whines Foggy, who’s definitely more than a little tipsy.  
“Pff, scoffs Karen, ”He would never, he looks scary but he’s just a big softie. He wears dad jeans,” she shrugs.   
That makes Frank stop smiling. “What ?”  
“Yeah, you do. It’s ok, they don’t look to bad on you. Even Foggy agrees, look, he is nodding” And sure enough, Foggy is looking Frank all over and nodding.  
“I...What even,” Frank shakes his head, “Time to go home, you two.”

 

While Karen puts on her coat, Nelson sobers up a little and takes him apart and says real close to his face: “I know..., I know she doesn’t need protecting but if you ever hurt her or mess this up in some way, know that I won’t hesitate to go all lawyer up your ass, Castle, and strip you bare. You’re scary as fuck but I can use the law to my advantage like you wouldn’t believe.” And Frank doesn’t think about laughing for one second, Nelson is dead serious. Drunk but serious.   
He nods in reply. “Not in my intention so we should be good, Nelson.”  
The man nods twice “Ok, good. I need to sleep now.”  
Frank chuckles “You do that, Nelson, you do that.”

 

Karen walks up to him after his “talk” with Nelson is over with a smirk. “Has Foggy done his “big brother duty” thing on you? Are you guys done being such men?”  
He slides his arm around her waist “Yeah, yeah, I know it’s ridiculous. Let’s take him to the station, alright?”

 

Once they’ve left Nelson at the subway station, they decide to walk back to her place. They advance slowly, her arm around his waist and his around her shoulders. The night is cold and she is silent. Now that Foggy isn’t with her anymore, he knows that she is taking time to go over what happened tonight, the cold air and the walk making her tipsiness fade away. 

He kisses her temple “What are you thinking about?” She turns her head to look at him, still sightly lost in her thoughts. “Nothing bad, don’t worry. Just something I said a while ago to Foggy.” He squeezes her shoulder, encouraging her to keep talking. “When I called him to ask him about tonight, I told him that life sometimes, often, has unexpected plans for us. And it’s funny how tonight proved my point again. We never really know what’s coming.”  
“Yeah that’s for sure. Why were you telling him that? Do you have an habit of getting all philosophical when calling him for drinks?”  
“Oh, it was because he made fun of me for not going along with my plan of focusing purely on my career.” She winks at him, pressing her self closer to his chest. “That was your goal?”he asks.  
“Of course it was! I was just starting a new business. I didn’t want any distraction. I obviously don’t regret straying from it now.” He squeezes her shoulder, smirking “I should hope so.”   
She laughs while reminiscing “I never had romance in mind when I came to New-York. I just wanted to get away and do something new. I never expected you.”  
“And I never expected to be with anyone else than Maria, not ever. Not even after she was gone. I never expected you either. And yet, here you are.”

She stops walking and slides her second arm around his waist, tying both her hands behind his back, biting her lower lips before speaking. “Frank,...I never truly said it but I am so sorry for what happened to your family. You never were supposed to find out what life without them was like. You never should’ve known how it is. I’m sorry.” And she has tears in her eyes as she says these words that make him shiver.   
“Karen...you don’t have to...” His throat tightens and he holds her closer, resting his forehead on her shoulder   
“I have you now.”  
She kisses the side of his head, humming softly as a response.  
“We have each other,” he adds  
“We do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the twist in how Frank/Foggy got to know each other (this idea literally took me by surprise, freaked me out and wouldn't let me go so I decided to go for it!). I hope you liked this chapter and that you'll be back for the next (and also) last one <3


	6. Forget-Me-Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the last chapter is here!  
> I've been working on this fic almost everyday for about a month now and, not only was it the first Kastle I've ever written, but it's also the longest fic I've ever done, so it feels a little like my baby and I want to thank everyone who left a kuddo or a comment or sent me a message about it, everyone has been so lovely and it means a lot to me<3  
> This last chapter is the longest yet and it's just pure fluff (+ with teh added bonus of the presence of another one of my favourite character from The Punisher) so enjoy!

Two and a half months later, Karen is sitting in a restaurant, talking animatedly to the young dark-haired woman in front of her. Watching her with cat-like eyes, the woman, called Dinah, is a self-defense instructor who’s business is situated two blocks down from Karen’s apartment. Walking past it everyday gave Karen the desire to take classes but with the opening of her shop, she was too busy to find time for classes. 

When things started to settle down a little,about two months ago, Karen took the decision to walk into the studio and quickly started to see Dinah as a friend more than a teacher. The woman was strong and smart, straight to the point, which Karen loved. She was a good listener and was always asking just the right questions when Karen was stuck on something. Meanwhile, Karen fully supported Dinah in her desire to expand her studio and to hire more women as instructors to teach young girls and women of all ages. They bonded over being new business owner in New-York, about their love of independence and donuts.  
They found themselves talking several times for hours after the studio had closed down and Karen’s class was over, just sharing experiences and gossip or talking about politics or social issues or the books they were reading, podcast they were listening to, before finally deciding to start seeing each other outside of the studio. Karen was regularly inviting Dinah for lunch or take over in the evening after closing the shop. 

Even is she was spending most of her spare time with Frank, their relationship growing steady and healthily, bringing so much happiness and contentment in Karen’s life that she honestly had moments where she felt like she might burst out of joy, Karen enjoyed having a new friend in New-York. Someone who wasn’t Foggy or Matt or even Curtis. Someone different and yet quite similar to her, both serious and fun. She was simply happy to have a female friend, finding in Dinah something that none of her male friend, or even Frank, could give her. An understanding. 

And Dinah was really good at reading Karen, at understanding her. Karen could feel her friend observing her, studying her, as she started talking about Frank and their relationship, how close they had gotten and how comfortable they were with each other. When Dinah suddenly asks her if she had told him already that she was in love with him, Karen is not even that much surprised that her friend knew about her feeling. She suspected that they were probably obvious to most people, except maybe one Frank Castle, and with her analysis skills, Dinah would have caught up on it in no-time. 

Dinah smirks when she sees the look on Karen’s face. “Honestly, it’s written all over your face. You can’t hide it, it’s pouring out of you every time you mention him! It’s sweet, just very...obvious. I’m just wondering if you’ve made it obvious to him too.”  
“Yeah well...I ...it’s kind of complicated. You’re right, I am in love with him,” _and, Jesus, could she smile any wider while saying these words?_ “ I want to say it. I’ve almost done it a few times but it’s not that simple to let the words out.”  
“Why not?”  
“Well...it’s good what we have, you know?”  
“Yeah Karen,”smiles Dinah,” trust me, I know. Again, written all over your face, mentioned a lot in our conversations and I haven’t even met the guy yet.”  
“Oh shut up, I don’t talk about Frank that much to you.” She ignores Dinah raised eyebrow to continue with her dilemma. “I just don’t want to rush things for him. I...suspect that he is also in love with me but I think that for him, it might be harder to say it out loud. He had something truly special with his wife so, I think, maybe it’s hard for him to admit out loud that he is in love with someone that isn’t Maria.”

Dinah nods in understanding, take a sip of coffee before speaking up “That can be an issue on his side, yes. But I suggest that you should at least share how you feel. It might help him but mostly it seems important for you, to let him know you love him. You can tell him that you don’t expect anything from him...” - “Which I don’t” - “...exactly -, but that you felt the need to say it because it makes you feel good to say it or something like that.”  
Karen hums her approval, thinking about how to approach the subject with Frank.  
“Or you could find a way to let him understand."Adds Dinah, "Maybe not say it out loud but find a way. I’m sure you know him well enough by now to do that.”  
“You know,” says Karen, “for someone who doesn’t do romance right now, you’re awfully good at giving advices.”  
Dinah laughs, “That’s often the case, yeah.”  
“Don’t be so smug about it.”  
“I simply know what I’m good at,” Dinah shrugs.  
“Oh, is the list long?” teases Karen. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” replies Dinah with a smirk.

“Talking about what you’re good at, when are scheduling my next class?”  
“How about we talk about that after you’ve told Frank you love him?”  
“You’re evil.”  
“And I bet you a free lunch that you tell him today.”

As fate would have it, Dinah and Karen run into Frank as they exit the restaurant. Karen spots him walking towards them as soon as she is out on the street. He is looking straight ahead as he walks, one hand holding his backpack to his shoulder, the other in his pocket. He stops in his track as soon as he sees them before walking over to them with a smile that Karen returns.  
“Ladies,” He kisses Karen lightly on the cheek before nodding at Dinah, “And you must be Dinah Madani. Heard a lot about you.”  
“And I about you,” says Dinah, holding her hand out to him. Frank doesn’t hesitate and shakes it with a nod. “You had a good lunch?” He asks.  
“Yeah that place is really nice, you two should go there together someday” replies Dinah  
Frank looks over at Karen with a side smile “Yeah, why not? If you like it.”  
“Well, on that, I must leave you,” declares Dinah, “Got to teach some young girls how to punch bad guys.” Karen steps up to hug her as a goodbye “See you around, Dinah.”  
“Yeah don’t forget that free lunch you promised me.” Before Karen has time to do much more than glare at her, Dinah is walking away after a quick “Nice to finally meet you Frank.”

Once Dinah is gone, Karen leans into Frank’s side.  
“So you just happened to walk past the same restaurant I was having lunch at? Are you stalking me?”  
“Um, maybe?”  
She chuckles as he starts walking. “Seems like you talk a lot about me” he says, his voice insisting on the lot which makes Karen groan internally because thank-you-very-much-Dinah-I’ll-never-live-this-down, “so it’s only fair in a way.”  
“I don’t talk that much about you. Just sometimes.”  
He hums. “What did you talk about today at lunch then? If it wasn’t about me and how great I am?”  
“You’re a tiny bit full of yourself Mr. Castle.”  
“Only a tiny bit? That’s alright then. Warn me when it gets critical.” She laughs as he continues talking, “No but seriously, what did you guys talk about? How to best punch someone?”  
“Oh yeah”, nods Karen, “She gave me a full demo in the middle of the restaurant.”  
“Nice.”  
“Very.”

They walk in silence for a little bit, simply satisfied to be in each other’s presence before Frank speaks up “I’m glad you have her, Madani yeah? It’s good that you have her.”  
“Madani? Can’t you call her Dinah? Madani, pff, knowing her, she’d probably love that”  
Franks scoffs “Well I’m not her friend, am I?”  
“But you literally just met her.”  
“Exactly. I’m barely starting to call Nelson by his name – which is ridiculous by the way-, I can’t make another effort like that Karen, it’s too much.” She punches his arms lightly when he grins at her.  
“Why do I even bother?” she sighs. He shrugs “Good question, Karen, good question.”

And suddenly, Karen takes a decision. Right at this moment, in the middle of a New-York street, cars passing her by, her scarf tickling her chin and Frank’s hand pressed at her side, she decides to do it, take this step and not apologize for it. She’ll just have to think of a nice place to buy Dinah her free lunch.

She presses herself tighter against Frank. “We talked about love.” Her voice is soft, a bit low but she knows he can hear her.  
She feels him taking a deep breath “Yeah?”  
“Yeah. We,uh,we talked about how nice it is to be in love.” He hums noncommittally but she knows he’s analyzing her, following her train of thought. 

“Madani...Dinah, she doesn’t have a partner or anyone, does she?” His voice is steady but deep and his brow are lightly furrowed. He’s trying to keep it casual in case he misunderstood me, she realizes. She stops walking then turns to face him. “No, she doesn’t.” 

She keeps on looking at him because she wants him to understand what she means but she isn’t sure if he is ready to hear it yet….He stops in his track and they are standing still in front of each other, he reaches his hand to her face, brushes his thumb across her cheekbone and she lean her head into her hand, closing her eyes slightly.

“Karen...hey…,” she looks up at him, his eyes are warm and the corner of his lips are raised in an hint of a smile” ...me too”

She stays silent for a second, her heart beating faster in her chest, a feeling between excitement, joy and serenity taking over her, before breaking into a wide smile and raising a hand to her mouth. He knows how she feels and he feels the same and she can’t believe that this is happening right now in the middle of the street as an old man pass them by muttering at his dog but it _is_. It is and it’s wonderful. To love and be loved. She lets out a light laugh, grabs his hand and brings it to her lips as his face breaks into a smile of his own. 

\--------------------------------------------

He holds her closer and whispers in her ear, needing to feel her closer, to touch her and touch her skin, ground himself into her, his breath caressing her neck,“Thank you” before pressing a kiss to the side of her throat.

She grabs his face lightly and stares at his eyes, her blue eyes shining bright, looking straight into him, past his fears and his rough edges, his mistakes and his flaws, right to the core of him.  
“Frank I’m in love with you, not doing you a favor out of the goodness of my heart or something like that, I’m being selfish in my own way.”  
She is slightly frowning and he knows that she means every word she is saying and that she is slightly bothered by the fact that he feels so thankful that this wonder of a complex woman decided to love him, because she doesn’t feel how lonely he was before she came into his life. He can’t say everything right now because he’s not sure he can put everything into words but he tries.  
“I know but I’m still thankful that….I’m thankful that you’re here, you know. That you came to me. I’m no gift and yet you gave me a chance and stayed. I’m thankful that I can make you laugh and smile and feel good because you do the same to me. I’m just, thankful for your presence, you know?” 

She caresses his face before kissing his cheek lightly. She whispers “Well then let me say that I am very thankful for your presence in my life too.” He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against her, taking deep breaths as her thumbs draws patterns on his neck and cheeks, easing slowly the tension in his shoulder as he breathes her in “I…said it before but I really wasn’t looking for love when I came here, I didn’t have any plans for the future but...you make me want to have plans Frank, you make me not so afraid of the future and what’s to come. You’re also the first person I shared my story with. You make me feel safe.”

His arms wrap around her waist crushing her against his chest and he reflects on the fact that this second shot at love, this second chance at companionship, at being one with someone, feels as intense at the first one and yet so different. In his mind it’s not a question of first or second, there’s Maria, his wife, and Karen, his love. And right now, there’s Karen loving him and holding him tight.  
And as he runs his fingers through her hair, he realizes that he truly isn’t scared anymore. Neither scared of her leaving him alone and going back to a plain life without feelings; or her staying and them getting more and more important and serious and involved and in love. How could he be when it feels so right?  
\--------------------------------------------

 

_4 months later_

 

Karen is walking around Frank's living room while he is cooking something for dinner, observing the pictures on his cupboard by the window. They are of Maria and the kids, of Maria and him, him and his kids as well as a few of him in the military. She has seen them before of course but she never really took the time to study them, to try and find the resemblance between Frank and his kids. 

Her eyes are attracted to one of the kids with a dog. It’ a grey pitbull with white patches that Lisa and Frank Jr are holding tight, smiling widely as the dog almost seems to be grinning at the camera.

Frank comes back into the room to let her know that dinner is ready and she points at the picture, asking about the dog that he never mentioned. He smiles, his face softening as he walks up next to her and picks up the picture.

“That's Max. He was the dog that me and Maria bought when we got married. And he was the sweetest dog ever, god, he was so sweet. Everyone loved him in the neighborhood, the kids loved him, the old guy down the street who didn’t love anybody loved him. He was a fucking charmer that dog, loved the attention, you know? Frank Jr used to play soldier with him and he’d follow him around like he understood everything he was saying while Lisa was the radio operator or something like that.”Frank smiles wider as he remembers his family.  
He sits on the couch pulling her next to him with the picture still in his hand, “Max, he was so gone for Maria... he was basically in love with Maria that dog. She could get him to do anything, you know. A snap of her fingers and he was running to her. Almost got me jealous.” He laughs before his smiles fades and his face gets somber, “But, uh... he died when Lisa was 11 because he was sick. We had to put him away and that was so sad. We all cried, jesus, it was a tear fest. The kids wouldn’t stop crying. We decided to not get another dog right away, to wait a few more years but well…”  
And Karen understands. His family died before they had finished grieving Max. Before they had the opportunity to get another dog. She presses agaisnt him, her hand on his chest as he looks at the picture, his thumbs tracing the lines. 

As she sits there next to him, she gets an idea. A silly little idea but she can’t shake it out of her head in the following days.  
It’s only when a customer walks in with a dog that she decides to act on it and calls Curtis, who has a dog of his own, to ask him if he knows about local shelters. When she has all the information she needs. She sets her plan in motion and warns Frank that they are going on a secret trip this week-end and that he needs to take the Saturday afternoon off. He’s puzzled but doesn’t press her with more questions once she insists that “It’s a surprise Frank, nothing to be stressed about I promise. You can trust me.” And he trusts her, so much more every day, so he accepts simply smiles at her the whole drive there.

 

When they arrive at the shelter Curtis gave her the adress of and park in front of it, the look on Frank’s face could only be described as pure. It’s something between love and joy and shock and excitement and he turns to look at her “You..you brought me to a shelter? to see dogs?”  
“Yep. Talking about Max gave me the idea.”  
“Jesus Christ, Karen, I love you.”  
Goddammit does he know how it makes her feel when he says it so casually and yet so softly? 

She gets out of the car and they walk into the shelter holding hands. And that’s when she realizes how much he loves dogs, how fucking gone he is for dogs. He literally looks like a kid in a candy store as they enter the shelter looking at everything with a huge smile. 

They walk around and he stops to say hi to all the dogs, asking questions to the workers about where the dogs come from and the breeds and the age and playing with them. After a while, he stops in front of one of the puppy, a special kind of look on his face. The dog is a gray pitbull that looks the same as his former dog, but with white patches on the opposite side of its face and a darker gray. 

He loves the dog immediately, she can tell. He asks one of the volunteers if he can take the puppy out and is told that it’s a female going by the name of Queenie. They hand her to him who wraps her in his arms. And she looks so tiny in his big arms, so small but she is looking him straight in the eyes and nuzzling against his chest. He starts playing with her and even giggles at her reactions. And Karen can’t believe it. 

Frank Castle just giggled. Frank Castle in all his "I'm-a-veteran-turned-tattoo-artist-almost-always-dressed-in-black-with-my-combat-boots-don’t-mess-with-me" attitude, just giggled. At a puppy.

He seems to have completely forgotten about Karen's presence as he plays with the puppy so she walks around to look at the other dogs before reaching the counter to ask about adoption conditions and papers. When she comes back to find Frank, he is, and she has to put a hand on her mouth to stop her laughter, rolling round on the ground with the puppy. Now that’s something she never expected from him.

“Who are you and what have you done with Frank Castle?” She asks leaning on the wall. He stops playing and looks up at her “Oh, hi, Karen,” he has the biggest grin on his face as he stands up and he points at the dog, “She’s just adorable, isn’t she?” When Karen answers positively, he turns to the pup who’s now excitedly jumping around his ankles telling her “Yeah you’re a good girl aren’t you? Yeah, you’re the best.”  
“You really like her, don’t you?”  
“Yeah, I picked her up because she kind of reminds me of Max but she's much stronger than he ever was at that age and much more excited. She’s feisty. She’s a good one,” He grins as he picks the dog up. “They told me they found her in a fighting circuit, she’s just 5 months old and they got her a month ago.” His eyes cloud over when he mentions the fighting rings, anger rising at the thought of people hurting animals on purpose but soon enough the dog yaps again to attract his attention as if sensing his anger and he softens immediately, caressing her head. 

Karen walks up to him, caressing the dog’s head “Well, isn’t it a good thing you’re bringing her home then?”  
His eyes widen and he stares at her, “What?” She nuzzles the dog’s head a little bit more and shrugs with a smile hoping he’ll like the news as much as she likes giving them to him, “Yeah, the papers are ready, you just have to sign.”  
“Wait, you’re getting me a dog?”  
“Well not really,” she laughs, “I just brought you to a place where you can get a dog. But if you want, she’s all yours, I’ve just checked and the papers are ready.”

He thinks for a few seconds, hugging the dog close to his chest “Why did you bring me here today?” She looks up at him and moves her hand along his arm. “As I said talking, about Max with you gave me the idea, and I... thought you’d like to have a companion again. I understood you liked dogs, I hadn’t realized how much until today, I have to say.” she teases before going back to being serious,“ I know you refused to for a long time, but you’re ready Frank, you’re ready to take care of a living being again.”

He takes a few step closer, putting one of his hand on her waist. She breathes him in as he looks intently at her, his eyes roaming her face, her hand now on his chest above the dog. He finally speaks up. “I’ll take her home on one condition.”  
“And what’s that?”  
“You adopt her with me.” He’s dead serious. She takes a step back, surprised. “What?”  
“You heard me, Karen.”  
“I...But I don’t know anything about dogs! And….and…, you know...”  
“Yes?” His eyes are way too innocent and his demeanor as he caresses the puppy is way too casual for Karen to not understand that there is a double meaning to what he is saying. She hopes it is what she it thinking about but she doesn’t’ want to rush things so she decides to go for logic rather than jumping on to her own desires.

“And it wouldn’t be practical for us to have a dog.” she says slowly.  
“Why not? Don’t you think she is cute? Look at her Karen, look at her and tell me you don’t want her.”  
“That’s not the point Frank, of course she is cute!”, she exclaims. Damn it, Queenie is way too cute but Karen can’t give in because it wouldn’t be possible with them being the way they are now - not living together that is-, “but that’s not the problem here and you know it!”  
“What is it then?” and she swears he has a smirk on his face and he takes a step closer raising an eyebrow, “Why couldn’t we get this dog together and raise her together? We could do that together, you know we could.” - and he insist on the word together both times he says it, making her inside warm up because he’s implying something isn’t he? And god, she hopes it is what she is thinking of. What she's been thinking of for a few weeks now. 

“Frank…”  
“Why not?” He leans his head against hers.  
She sighs and gives in, damn it, he got the upper hand this time. “We can’t have a dog if we don’t live together.”  
“And?” His lips are brushing against her cheekbone.  
She replies slowly “We don’t live together, Frank. We spend a lot of time at each other’s place but we don’t live together.” And if the last words sound a bit like a question well, that’s just how it is now.

“Don’t we?” He lets out in a breath.  
She shivers, he _is_ talking about what she was hoping he would talk about - and gosh, she loves him “Don’t play with me.”  
He’s suddenly serious, leaning his head back to look straight into her eyes, “I’m not playing Karen, never with you.”

“And yet you’re blackmailing me with a puppy to get me to live with you,” she teases as she holds his waist, getting slowly used to that warmth in her chest and the crazy beats of her heart.  
“Is it working?” He smirks.  
“It’s playing dirty.”  
“Me? Never,” He brushes her hair out of her face. “Hey, seriously, it’s not even so much about the dog anymore, Karen. I will adopt her. I knew it as soon as I saw her. No matter what, I’m taking her. I wouldn’t use her against you but I...I’d really like you and me to have this,” he raises the pup lightly, “and most of everything else together. Actually I’d be fine with having all of everything else together. I'v ebeen thinking about us moving in together for a while now. I’m dead serious, Karen. Okay?”

She smiles “Okay.”  
“So ...do you need time or something to think about it? Do you want us to come back another day?” Always so considerate that Frank Castle, she thinks as she smiles wider at him. “No, no. I said okay.”  
“Yeah, I know but I’m saying...Wait ..Okay?  
“Yeah, okay.”  
“Okay, _okay_ or just okay?”  
“Okay, _okay_.”  
“Shit, Karen.” He grins  
“What?”  
“I think you’ve definitely failed at your “focusing on your career” plan.” he replies with a smug look. 

She laughs bright and loud, head thrown back as the dog barks and Frank’s grin threatens to slip his face in half.  
She throws her arms around his neck kissing him deeply, not caring about being surrounded by dogs and people because she’s about to move in with this wonderful beautiful extraordinary complex man and after everything that she has been through, it feels like her life truly is going to be a somehow good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've all liked this final chapter and how I've ended the story and that you enjoyed Dinah's presence in it. Also I couldn't end this without giving Frank a dog, could I?  
> Thank you again for reading and commenting and leaving kuddos!!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @iamacolor


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